


Shower Singer

by hogwarts_school



Series: Shower Singer [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-16 09:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16951806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hogwarts_school/pseuds/hogwarts_school
Summary: Y/N overhears bad boy Sirius Black singing in the shower, causing a game of revenge and a possible romance.





	1. Part 1

It was early Saturday morning. You were sitting in front of the warm fire in the Gryffindor common room, your bag open at your feet and a fresh roll of parchment on your lap, ready to begin your potions essay. Once you had written down the essay topic (‘Describe the uses of Everlasting Elixirs’), you realised you didn’t have your textbook; Remus had borrowed it Thursday afternoon and not yet returned it. Hoping he would be finished with your book, you stood up and climbed the boys’ staircase, stopping in front of the 7th year room. 

You knocked on the door and waited. You heard shuffling behind the door which opened to reveal Remus’ smiling face.

“Morning Y/N,” he greeted. His was still in his pyjamas and his hair looked as if it was not brushed yet.

“Hey, I hope I didn’t wake you?” You asked, suddenly realising just how early is was.

“No, you didn’t,” he dismissed with a wave of his hand. “I was just reading, waiting for Sirius to get out of the shower.”

“Oh, good,” You replied. “I was wondering if you were done with the Advanced Potion Making book?”

“Oh yeah, I am,” he opened the door wider. “Come on in.”

You slowly walked into the boys dormitories and looked around. You had never been in the boys’ dorms before and if you had one word to describe it, it would be ‘messy’. Peter was sitting on his bed, surrounded by piles of parchments that he was sorting through, and James was lying on his bed and reading Quidditch Through the Ages. They both looked up as you entered and smiled, and you awkwardly smiled back. You had only ever spoken to Remus, so it felt a bit awkward being in their dorm room.

Remus walked over to his bedside table and picked up your book. “Thanks for lending it to me,” he thanked you, handing it over.

“No worries,” You smiled. “You can pay me back by getting me out of my detention with Slughorn, Prefect Remus,” you joked.

“Sure thing,” he laughed.

You went to turn around and head back out when a sudden loud singing made you pause.

“Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,

I’m a woman’s man: no time to talk.

Music loud and women warm, I’ve been kicked around

Since I was born.”

James, Remus and Peter started snorting with laughter and your jaw dropped as you realised whose voice that was.

“Is that Black?” You asked dumbfounded, a smile slowly forming on your face. His voice was so high that if you hadn’t known Sirius was in the shower, you’d never have guessed it was him.

“Yeah he’s a shower singer,” James smirked, getting up from his bed and heading over to you.

“Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’,

And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive.”

You started giggling now while James and Remus had their hands clasped over their mouths to muffle their laughter.

Peter stood up and headed over to you. “He’s a big fan of the Bee Gees,” he told you, snickering. “Remus and I introduced the band to him last Summer.”

“Does he always sing so high-” You broke off when you heard a sudden loud crash from inside the bathroom, followed by loud cursing.

“Sounds like he slipped,” Remus laughed, putting his ear up against the door to listen better.

“Yeah, probably added some dance moves,” James snorted, craning his neck to listen.

You were shocked that this was Sirius. Sirius Black was always gracefully arrogant and had a ‘bad boy’ reputation. So it was surprising and hilarious to see, or hear, this side of him.

“Alright, in there mate?” James yelled through the door.

“Yeah, just slipped,” Sirius called back.

“Well hurry up, other people have to shower too!” James yelled, while looking over at you and putting a finger to his lips, signalling for you to keep quiet.

The door opened to reveal a very wet Sirius Black with a white fluffy towel wrapped around his waist and his hair dripping into his eyes.

“I hate that fucking shower curtain,” he grumbled, walking over to his bed, not seeming to have noticed you. James, Remus and Peter were watching excitedly and trying to control their laughter.

“Does it interfere with your performance?” You asked. He quickly whipped around and stared at you wide-eyed, his towel slipping down a few inches. The boys couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, with you joining them.

“Wh-what…uh-” he gaped, staring at you, his cheeks slowly turning pink. “What the fuck are you doing here!?” he shouted outraged.

“I was just getting my book back,” You replied innocently, raising the book in your hands. You bit your lip and tried your best to keep your eyes from wandering down his body.

“Why didn’t you tell me she was here!?” he shouted, turning to the boys who were gasping for air.

“We just wanted to show Y/L/N your beautiful voice,” James laughed, walking over to Sirius who was glaring at him, and slapped him on the back. “You would’ve done the same to me, Padfoot.”

His face was extremely red now that you started to feel a bit guilty.

“I’m sorry, Black,” You said, trying to look apologetic as you began to back away towards the door. “I’ll just go now,” You finished awkwardly as you fumbled for the door handle.

You quickly closed the door behind you and leant against the opposite wall, trying to process what just happened. Not only did you hear Sirius Black singing, and apparently dancing, in the shower but you also saw him with only a towel. You felt your face grow hot as you pictured the trail of dark hair leading from his lower abdomen and out of sight.

As you forced yourself to head back down the stairs, you heard more laughing then a sudden ‘thump’ followed by a loud ‘ouch’.

You sat back down on your comfortable armchair, biting your nails as you thought of how awkward it would be when you next saw each other. How on earth were you going to face him again?


	2. Part 2

A sudden loud bang woke you with a start Monday morning. You shot up in your bed and looked around wildly, trying to find the source of the noise.

“Sorry Y/N,” Marlene apologised, bending down to grab something off the floor. “Dropped my brush.”

“Huh?” You muttered, still dazed. You had a very strange dream before you were woken and it took you a few seconds to remember where you were. “Oh. That’s ok.”

You yawned loudly, rubbing your tired eyes. You threw back your covers and hopped out of bed.

“Morning Y/N,” Lily smiled, walking out of the bathroom and drying her wet hair.

“Morning Lils,” You yawned, putting on your robes and trying to find your shoes.

“We’re going down to breakfast,” Mary called as she and Marlene headed to the door. “We’ll see you there.”

“You look tired,” Lily observed, putting her dry hair in a neat ponytail. “You were a bit restless last night.”

“Yeah, I had a lot on my mind. You know, NEWTS,” You lied, brushing your hair. You did have a lot on your mind last night, but it wasn’t about your NEWTS. You have been nervous since the incident on Saturday morning; worried about facing Sirius again. You had cleverly avoided him and his friends but since you’re in the same Herbology class, there was no avoiding him now. You weren’t sure what his reaction would be to seeing you after you had heard him sing and dance in the bathroom, and you were in absolutely no rush to find out.

You had told Lily what had happened of course and you both shared a laugh. However you had conveniently left out the part where you had to take a breather after seeing his muscly naked torso, or the fact that you keep dreaming of that same incident except you’re actually in the shower with him. As she is dating James potter, who happens to be his best friend, you couldn’t risk this information leaking back to him. Some things are just better left unsaid.

You grabbed your bags and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Thankfully, the boys were not at the Gryffindor table but you kept this relief to yourself, instead buttering some toast while a disappointed Lily poured herself a cup of coffee.

“It’s too cold for Herbology,” Marlene whined who was sitting across from you and staring glumly up at the enchanted ceiling.

“I wish they’d cancel it,” Mary added, flicking through Advanced Rune Translation. “It’d give me a chance to catch up on our homework. Who knew NEWTS would be this hard!”

“I’d rather be outside in the cold than stuck in Divination,” You said, munching on your toast. “You can’t breathe in that class.”

“I heard a 3rd year passed out,” Lily added, between mouthfuls of porridge.

“They probably feigned it to get out,” Marlene snorted, playing with her soggy cereal. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“We better get going guys,” Mary interjected, quickly finishing her juice. You grabbed your bags and headed out to the Entrance Hall, down the stone steps and across the sloshy lawn towards the greenhouses. Your heart skipped a beat when you spotted a tall black haired boy, casually leaning against the greenhouse wall and smirking at his friends. Lily made a beeline straight for James, who greeted her with a wide smile and planted a big kiss on her lips.

“Aren’t they cute?” Marlene giggled.

You smiled and nodded in agreement as you joined the line of students, ensuring you kept a distance away from Sirius. You knew you were being paranoid, but you didn’t want to be on the end of one of Sirius’ pranks. You knew that James Potter had pulled his head in, as evident by the gleaming Head Boy badge on his chest, but you weren’t so sure about Sirius.

“Morning chaps!” Professor Sprout greeted the class with a smile. “We’re in Greenhouse 6 today.”

You followed Sprout over to the greenhouse and hurriedly entered; eager to get away from the cold wind.

“We’ll be extracting Podspurt pus,” Sprout announced in her usual loud voice, walking to the far end of the long table. “You’ll need your dragon-hide gloves and goggles.”   
She placed her goggles over her eyes and pointed her wand at a yellow Podspurt in front of her. It was shaped like a large melon with a noticeable scar running along the top, as if it had been cut open then sewed back together. It also appeared to be pulsating slightly, as if something was moving inside.   
“Make a small incision along this crease here. Diffindo!” Green, slimy tentacles suddenly flew from the open incision, whipping through the air in an attempt to attack Professor Sprout. She expertly grabbed the tentacles and pinned them down with one hand, while her other grabbed a vial to collect the green pus that began to pour from the incision.

“There we go,” Sprout huffed, placing the pus-filled vial behind her and flicking her hair back. The tentacles shrunk back inside the incision and closed over. “It’s a lot more difficult than it looks, so there’ll be four students to a tray. Oh, and if the pus sprays you then just wipe it off; it’s not poisonous. I had a few students screaming bloody murder in my previous class. Let’s get to work!”

You quickly joined Marlene, Mary and Lily, but immediately regretted this decision when you spotted the group across from you. James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black.

‘Fuck!’ You thought to yourself as you put on your dragon-hide gloves and goggles. ‘Maybe he’s not angry.’ A calm voice reasoned with you. ‘Maybe he thought it was funny.’

“I think three of us should hold down the tentacles,” Lily suggested. “And Marls can collect the pus.”

“Lovely,” Marlene said sarcastically, screwing up her nose.

“Good idea, my Lily flower,” James winked across the table. Lily rolled her eyes, but a light blush appeared on her cheeks.

Lily made a careful incision as Sprout had demonstrated and jumped when the tentacles attempted to strangle her, sending green slime through the air. You and Mary quickly jumped forward to hold the tentacles down, which proved to be harder than it looked. The tentacles were surprisingly strong and seemed to easily weed their way out of your grip. On the opposite side, James, Sirius and Peter were wrestling with their plant while Remus waited with a vial in hand. After a few minutes of fighting, the three of you managed to successfully pin down the tentacles and Marlene swooped in to collect the pus that began to drain out.

“That’s gross!” Mary grimaced, pinching her nose. The pus was an awful green colour and had a terrible odour that made dungbombs smell pleasant.

“I wonder what it takes like,” James wondered sniffing the vial and gagging at the smell.

You fixed your goggles on your face and picked up your wand.

“One down, five more to-ARGH!” You cried out when a handful of pus was thrown in your face, landing in your open mouth.

“SIRIUS!”

You looked over to see a smirking Sirius, wand in hand with an open Podspurt in front of him which the boys were wrestling with.

“Sirius, what the fuck?” Lily exclaimed as you began coughing and spluttering, trying to remove the taste of pus in your mouth.

“It was an accident,” he said innocently, grabbing another vial. “These blimey things just spray anywhere.”

“Woah! How’d that happen?” James laughed looking from your pus covered face to Sirius suspiciously, pinning down the tentacles with Remus and Peter while Sirius collected the remaining pus.

“Not to worry, Y/L/N,” Sprout chirped as she came over, handing you a cloth. “Just wipe it off. Ah, I see what happened. You have to cut along the crease, Black.”

“Oh! I see!” Sirius grinned, nodding as the incision closed over. Sprout quickly left to join another group who were desperately trying to stop their Podspurt from strangling them.

Sirius looked up at you. “Oops!” he said, smiling widely.

“You!” You coughed pointing a finger at him, the horrible taste still in your mouth. “You did that on purpose!”

“I did no such thing!” he gasped, sounding appalled. “And how could I possible control where the pus spurts, hmm?”

You would have almost believed him had he not been looking at you with blatant humour in his eyes, obviously satisfied with his work. It seemed James, Remus and Peter also noticed as their lips were twitching. Peter was looking between you and Sirius excitedly.

You furiously glared back at Sirius. This was obviously revenge for what had happened Saturday. And it wasn’t even your fault!   
‘Fine,’ you thought to yourself while the girls fussed over you, trying to remove the pus from your hair. ‘You want to play? Let’s play!’

“You’ll have to wash your hair once we get back to the castle. It won’t come out,” Lily said, tying it up in a ponytail and leaning closer to your ear. “I know that wasn’t an accident. Want me to take care of it?” She whispered quietly.

“Don’t worry about it,” You smirked, glancing at the boys who began wrestling their next Podspurt, a triumphant smile on Sirius’ lips. Lily nodded, her eyes sparkling humorously.

You waited holding a vial while the girls worked to pin down the tentacles, when you got a sudden idea. If Sirius was going to be childish, then so were you. You tapped your fingers on the table and hummed to yourself, loud enough for the boys to hear. Sirius whipped around and glared at you, obviously recognising the tune. James, Remus and Peter snickered and Lily bit her lip, trying to keep from laughing.

“Pads, hurry up!” Remus told Sirius, who was too busy glaring at you to notice his friends. You began humming louder which angered him further. He quickly collected the pus before snatching up his wand and aiming it at the next plant, using too much force and almost tearing the Podspurt in half.

“Black! Be careful!” Sprout barked, marching over to Sirius who barely dodged a tentacle. She pushed the boys out of the way and grabbed hold of the tentacles, inspecting the large hole.

“Podspurts take 15 years to fully mature. You cannot damage them!” She said, collecting the pus.

“Yeah, Black,” You spoke up, smirking. “They have to…stay alive.”

James, Remus and Peter snorted loudly and Lily was overcome with a fit of giggles. Sirius didn’t seem to find the humour in your comment, which was apparent by the daggers he was sending you and the light pink appearing on his cheeks.

“Yes exactly, Miss Y/L/N,” Sprout said tapping the hole with her wand which closed over, leaving a black mark. “This pus is highly valuable in treating Mumblemumps so they must, as Y/L/N said, stay alive.” She gave Sirius another firm look before quickly hurrying off to another group with their hands raised.

“Let’s keep going,” Mary said, oblivious to the tension between you and Sirius. Lily winked at you before helping to pin down the next plant while you happily collected the pus. It seemed Sirius had no ideas left and instead succumbed to sending glares across the table for the remainder of class while James briefly patted him on the back.

You smiled to yourself as you headed back up to the castle with the rest of the class, not even worrying about the smelly pus in your hair. Now that class was over, you didn’t know why you were so worried about facing Sirius in the first place. You had expected him to pull off a big elaborate prank, not some childish revenge.

“Hey Y/N,” Remus called, quickening his pace to walk beside you. “That was pretty good back there. Well done.”

You frowned at him as you walked up the stone steps to the entrance hall. “Shouldn’t you be lecturing me off for hurting your friends’ feelings?”

“Nah, his egos too big for anyone to hurt him,” he chuckled, glancing at Sirius, Peter and James who had his arm wrapped around Lily. “Besides,” he added looking down at you, with a smile and a glint in his eye. “I think you’re good for him.”

Before you could ask what he meant, a passing 1st year interrupted. “Ew! What’s that smell!?”

Remus burst out laughing and you heard snickering behind you, no doubt from the rest of the class.

“Uh…I better get this stuff out of my hair,” You grimaced, hitching your bag up on your shoulder. “I’ll see you later.”

You hurried across the entrance hall and up the marble staircase. Feeling a pair of eyes on you, you glanced behind you to see Sirius staring at you with a slight frown while Peter was talking animatedly to him.

You hurried along the halls and staircases towards Gryffindor tower for a much needed shower before your next lesson.


	3. Part 3

The rest of the week was quite uneventful. Classes were long and stressful; the teachers were lecturing everyone now more than ever about the importance of NEWTS, and you left each class with a mountain of homework. The only positive event of this week was Gryffindor winning yet another match against Ravenclaw, placing Gryffindor in the lead once again. After a quick celebration with Gryffindor house, you were once again found surrounded by piles of books, your ink-covered hands rubbing your tired eyes. The only 7th years not having sleepless nights and mental breakdowns were James Potter and Sirius Black as they ‘already know everything’. Even Lily was slightly jealous, which was evident by the glares she had sent the boys while she desperately searched for her Arithmancy textbook, her hair in disarray from the number of times she ran her hands through it; a habit you suspect she picked up from James.

It was a rare sunny day on Sunday afternoon. Students were lounging comfortably on the grass, enjoying the warmth while others were dipping their feet in the cool water of the lake while throwing food at the Giant Squid.   
You sighed miserably as you headed down the third-floor corridor, staring glumly out the window at the students baking in the hot sun. You wanted nothing more than to be outside on this wonderful day, but unfortunately your NEWTS were more important. Therefore you were meeting Lily in the library for a Transfiguration study session.

You hurried down the staircase leading to the second-floor corridor, when you heard voices. It was not the voices that stopped you in your tracks, but what the voices were saying.

“…told me I don’t belong here because I’m muggleborn.”

“Don’t listen to them. They couldn’t be more wrong.”

Your heart skipped a beat when you recognised the second voice. You had both stubbornly ignored each other since the Herbology incident. Although you could have sworn that at times he was staring at you, but whenever you looked over he would be in deep conversation with his friends or shovelling food in his mouth.

“But what if they’re right?”

You edged closer and peeked around the corner to see a tiny 1st year Gryffindor boy with a tear stained face and Sirius kneeling in front of him, smiling kindly.

“You received a Hogwarts letter, didn’t you?”

The boy nodded, wiping his eyes.

“The Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor, the best house ever!?”

The boy giggled and nodded, a small smile forming on his face.

“You belong at Hogwarts, Liam. Those Slytherins are just trying to upset you because they’re nasty people,” Sirius said, grabbing Liam’s shoulder comfortingly. “And you know what else?” he added, his voice dropping and leaning closer to the boy.

“What?” Liam asked, his eyes suddenly alight with interest.

“I heard that Mulciber tried to brew a Brain Elixir potion, but he didn’t do it right,” he whispered. “So now he’s even more illiterate than before.”

The boy laughed. “He did seem a little strange,” Liam giggled.

“Yup,” Sirius sighed shaking his head dramatically. “I reckon Mulciber is insanely jealous that unlike him, you have the ability to form a coherent sentence.”

Liam laughed again, all traces of crying gone. “Thanks Sirius.”

“Anytime, kiddo,” Sirius chuckled, standing up and ruffling his hair. “Now, how about you go outside; if you’re lucky you might be able to feed some of those Slytherins to the Giant Squid!”

“Ok!” he snickered, a sudden glint of mischief in his eyes. “Bye!” he waved turning to leave with a bounce in his step.

You smiled as you watched Liam bounce away excitedly when you suddenly realised that Sirius was turning to head up the staircase, right where you were currently hiding. You whipped around and made to dash up to the top of staircase, not wanting Sirius to know you were eavesdropping. However in your panic, you had forgotten the trick step halfway up causing your right leg to sink into the step.

You gasped in pain, trying to wrench your leg free when you heard someone clear their throat. You twisted around hesitantly to see Sirius slowly walking up the steps, smirking as he saw your predicament.

“What do we have here, Y/L/N?” he snickered, stopping in front of you.

“Well I think it’s obvious,” You snapped, as you returned to trying to free your leg, his blatant humour at your situation thoroughly irritating you.

“Yes, I think it is,” he smirked, leaning against the banister as he watched your fruitless attempts. “You were watching me.”

Your head snapped up so fast, your neck cracked. “What! No I wasn’t!”

“Really? Then how come your leg got stuck on the way up the stairs, and not down?”

Your mouth fell open as you fumbled for words. “Well…I-uh, forgot something, so I had to turn around.”

“Hmm…” he nodded continuing to stare at you, smirking. He was obviously enjoying watching you fumble for words.

“Are you going to help me or not?” You demanded angrily, your leg painfully sinking further into the gap.

“Well that depends…” he trailed off, his eyes sparkling humourlessly which was always a bad sign.

“On what?”

“If you tell me the truth,” he smirked. “Were you watching me?”

You huffed, glaring at him. ‘Why does he care anyway?’ you thought angrily, as you made one last attempt to free your leg. You huffed again in defeat, silently cursing him and his handsome face.

“Fine!”

“Yes…?” he grinned, watching you squirm.

“I…was watching you comfort the 1st year,” You mumbled, staring down at your hands. “Happy?”

“Why yes I am!” he grinned, looking very pleased with himself. “Although it’s not nice to eavesdrop on conversations, Miss Y/L/N.”

“Don’t give me a lecture on right and wrong, Black,” You scoffed, crossing your arms awkwardly. “I could write a book on the number of pranks you’ve pulled over the years.”

“I’ve always wanted my own autobiography!” he gasped, clapping his hands excitedly. “Make sure you record my dashingly good looks and perfect backside.”

“In your dreams, Black,” You snorted, rolling your eyes. “I’ve answered your question. Now help me out!”

He shrugged away from the bannister and wrapped his strong arms tightly around your waist. You swallowed nervously at his sudden closeness, his warm breath tickling your neck. He lifted you up easily and your leg came free, allowing you to quickly place your feet on the above step.

“Thanks,” You said awkwardly, turning around to face him.

“Don’t mention it,” he replied, a slight frown on his face as he stared up at you, an odd expression in his eyes.

You shifted slightly under his intense gaze which seemed to have knocked him out of his trance. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. You were instantly reminded of last week, when he was utterly embarrassed and wearing nothing but a towel. He was surprisingly adorable when he was nervous, a huge change from his usual confident demeanour.

“Where are you going?” You blurted out, blushing slightly when he looked up at you confused. “I mean…I’m going to the library. Where are you headed?”

You cringed internally, cursing yourself for sounding like a blithering idiot.

“Oh. I’m meeting Remus and Peter in the Common Room. James has Quidditch practice for the next hour.”

You nodded, biting your lip. “Well, I better get going. Lily’s waiting for me.”

“Sure,” he smiled, moving aside for you to jump the trick step and continue your way down.

“I’ll…see you around…?” Your good bye turning into a question as you passed him.

“Yeah, definitely,” he winked, as he began to ascend the staircase.

You reached the landing and glanced over your shoulder to see Sirius reaching the top of the stairs, your eyes involuntarily dropping down to his perfect backside. You quickly shook your head and hurried towards the library.

‘What the hell was that?’ you thought as you hurried along the corridors and staircases. ‘Did Sirius and I actually have a civil conversation? Are we friends now?’ You paused once you reached the library corridor, a sudden thought hitting you. ‘Was he flirting with me!? No!’ you thought, dismissing the thought immediately as you set off again towards the library doors. ‘He’s just being friendly.’

As you spotted Lily in the far corner of the library, her head buried in a Charms textbook, you couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that he wasn’t flirting with you.

“Hey Lily,” You greeted her, taking a seat next to her and opening your bag. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Hi Y/N,” she smiled, placing her book on the table. “Are you ok?” she asked suddenly, looking at you closely.

“Umm…yeah,” You replied as you took out parchment, quills and your textbooks. “Why?”

“You look a little flushed?” She said, a smile slowly forming on her face. “Is it a boy?”

“NO!” You said a little too loudly, causing Madam Pince to send you a glare.

Lily raised her eyebrow sceptically, her eyes sparkling.

“I mean, no, it’s not a boy,” You corrected calmly, occupying yourself by covering your quill with too much ink. “I was outside for a bit and I got sunburn. That’s why I was late.”

“Uh huh,” she nodded unconvinced, but thankfully she let the subject drop. But unfortunately as you’ve known Lily for seven years, you knew she would most likely bring it up again later when you least expect it. It wasn’t necessarily that you didn’t trust her; you just didn’t want her to make a big deal out of you and Sirius seeming to get along, even if he can be an arrogant git at times. You knew her immediate thought would be of a blossoming romance between the two of you, which was certainly not going to happen. Just because you sometimes dream of the handsome Gryffindor bad boy, doesn’t mean you have feelings for him!

You cleared your throat. “I heard James has practice today,” You said changing the subject.

“Yeah,” she smiled. “He’s been practicing five times a week; the only time I get to see him is at night.”

“I thought I heard someone sneaking out last night,” You said, suddenly remembering the floorboards creaking in the middle of the night.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” she smiled sheepishly. “It’s the only time we get to, sort of, be alone.”

“Head Girl sneaking into Head Boy’s dormitory,” You chided mockingly, shaking your head. “That’s not a good example to set for your fellow students.”

“Oh hush!” she said, hitting you with her quill. “The curtains are drawn shut and we always use Silencing Charms. No one will know.”

“Silencing Charms?” You repeated, smirking. “What exactly are you two doing at night?”

“Well…If you must know Y/L/N,” she began, glancing around and leaning closer to you. “We play checkers,” she whispered seriously. “But James is such a sore loser.”

You laughed; shaking you head as you had expected a very different answer.

“What else do you play?” You snickered. “Spot the Snargaluff?”

She snorted, trying to muffle her laughter. “No, but one time we played Exploding Snap and it singed James’ eyebrows,” she giggled. “I have never seen him look so horrified!”

You both burst out laughing, rolling around in your seats which earned you another glare from the librarian.

“Ok, we better start studying,” Lily chuckled, trying to regain her composure and opening ‘A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration’. “What should we go over first Human Transfiguration or Bird-Conjuring Charm?”

“Let’s start with the Bird-Conjuring Charm,” You suggested, opening your book. “We’ve studied it a lot longer, so it shouldn’t take long.”

You both became silent as you read over the material, occasionally firing questions at one another to test your knowledge. However as much as you tried to concentrate solely on revising the process of conjuring a flock of birds, the image of a certain tall, black haired smirking Gryffindor kept crawling into your mind.


	4. Part 4

You awoke early Monday morning along with your dorm mates. After a quick shower you headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast with your dorm mates where you found the boys already tucking into their breakfast. Lily pecked James on the cheek before plopping herself down next to him. You took a seat on Lily’s free side, while Mary and Marlene sat across from you. Feeling a set of eyes on you, you looked up to see Sirius giving you a small smile from across the table which you hesitantly returned. You still weren’t sure if you were considered ‘friends’ after your embarrassing run in with him yesterday, and for some strange reason you were hoping that you were friends with the handsome, arrogant, cocky bastard.

“I don’t feel like going to Potions,” Mary yawned widely, sipping her coffee.

“It won’t be too bad,” Lily consoled, stealing some bacon off of James’ plate.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Mary scoffed. “You’re the master at potions!”

“I wouldn’t call myself the ‘master’,” Lily smirked, grabbing a bowel of porridge. “I think champion is a better word.”

Mary threw a ball of parchment at her, which landed perfectly in her bowl.

“How are you boys handling NEWTs this year?” Marlene asked quickly while Lily wiped her face and hair, sending daggers at Mary.

“Pfft…easy!” Sirius answered with a mouth full of eggs and bacon. “We’ll fly through the exams, eh Prongs!”

“Yep,” James replied, high-fiving Sirius across the table which involved a fist bump with multiple hand gestures. “Piece of cake!”

“That’s great,” Marlene said monotonously, before looking over at Remus and Peter. “What about you boys?”

“I’m not as smart as these two, wankers,” Remus smirked while James and Sirius protested and showed off their special handshake again. “So I have to actually study,” he finished.

“Me too,” Peter said, munching happily on his pancakes. “I’ve never studied so much in my life. NEWTs are hard; I can’t wait ‘til it’s over.”

“Tell me about it!” Marlene said, grateful that someone else shared her hatred for NEWTs. “I reckon I got 4 hours sleep this week total!”

“Sometimes I just want to leave,” Peter said, munching thoughtfully. “I mean, do we really need our NEWTs?”

“You don’t want to leave, Wormy!” James beamed, punching Peter on the shoulder. “We’ll be one Marauder short, we can’t have that!”

“Alright, enough chit-chat,” You said, standing up and grabbing your bag while Peter smiled, looking pleased. “Time to head to the dungeons.”

“You know, when you say it like that, you don’t make Potions sound any better.” Mary huffed.

“I know,” You said, smirking when Mary grumpily flipped you off.

You all headed down to the dungeons for your Potions class with the Slytherins. When you arrived, Slughorn was already in the room and writing on the blackboard.

“Ah! There’s my star students,” Slughorn clapped happily, when the eight of you entered. “Morning Evans, Potter, Black!”

“Morning Professor,” They replied while you rolled your eyes at the others.

“It’s like we’re invisible!” You hissed to Mary, Marlene, Peter and Remus as you headed to the back of the classroom.

“We could start a fire right here in the middle of the room, and he wouldn’t even notice,” Remus smirked, shaking his head as he took a seat next to Peter. “He’d be too busy fawning over his favourites.”

You nodded your head in agreement as you sat next to Marlene while the others took their own seats, James and Sirius taking the table closest to Remus and Peter.

After a few minutes, the rest of the class began to file in and Slughorn began the lesson.

“Today is going to be a fun class!” Slughorn began, beaming at everyone. You shared a look with Marlene, as both of you knew that ‘fun’ meant the complete opposite.

“We’ll be making Amortentia,” Slughorn continued as murmurs were heard around the room. “I know you’ve made this potion in your 6th year but it will definitely come up in your NEWTs and as I’m sure you’re all well aware, it’s quite tricky. So today we’re going to be working hard to revise and make sure everyone’s up to scratch. And since we only have one hour, you’ll be working in pairs. Everyone open your books to page 368; you may begin.”

You bent down to grab your Advanced Potion-Making textbook out of your bag and grudgingly turned to page 368 while Marlene mumbled that she’ll grab the ingredients. You scanned through the complicated instructions and glanced over at the other students who were clearly not in the mood to concoct such a difficult potion so early in the morning.

BANG!

You jumped in your seat and whirled around to see a dumbfounded James covered in a bright pink liquid and Sirius barking with laughter, his wand hanging loosely in his hand.

“Potter! Black!”

“It wasn’t my fault!” James spluttered, wiping his glasses and desperately trying to remove it from his hair. “This fucker can’t aim properly!”

“Oi!” Sirius complained, still snickering and sending a wink at Lily who had a hand clamped over her mouth and her body shaking with silent giggles.

“Language, Potter,” Slughorn said disapprovingly, his lips twitching slightly. “I’m afraid I’ll have to separate you. No not there,” he added when Sirius moved to take Peter’s seat. “You can work with Miss Y/L/N today. And Miss McKinnon, you can work with Mr Potter.”

You swallowed loudly, feeling your heart race as Marlene sighed and slowly packed up her things to sit next a pouting James. Of course this would happen, you thought sarcastically, hearing the chair scrape next you to.

“Well hello there, Y/L/N,” Sirius said cheerily as he took his seat. “Long time no see.”

“You just saw me at breakfast…” You answered, raising an eyebrow as you began to carefully prepare the ingredients, wondering what had Sirius in such a good mood considering he had just be separated from his best mate.

“Right you are, Y/L/N!” he smirked, leaning his arm on the table so he could see your face. “But it feels like a lifetime since I saw your perfectly sculpted, symmetrical face.”

“Lovely,” You responded monotonously, trying to hold back a smile at his unique choice of words. “Here cut this,” you added, tossing a Murtlap Tentacle at him, hitting him square on the nose and falling in his lap with a splat.

He wiped his face and picked it up, scrunching up his nose.

“Normally, I’d get a little revenge,” he pouted as he picked up his knife. “But I guess I deserved that.”

“Damn right you did,” You said, carefully slicing an Ashwinder Egg. “Do have any idea how long it took me to get that pus out of my hair?”

“Sorry about that,” he snickered, carefully peeling a rose thorn and slicing it in equal sized pieces. “Your reaction was hilarious though. I’ve never seen someone look so horrified!”

“Maybe I’ll give you a nice makeover while you’re sleeping and then we’ll see who’s laughing,” You smirked. “But then again, I’ll probably be doing you a favour.”

“Hey, I don’t need a makeover,” he said, pointing a rose thorn at you. “Everyone knows I’m the good-looking Gryffindor.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” You grinned at him, peeling a Dandelion root.

“Oh. I do,” he said seriously. “Every morning I look in the mirror and use a few pick-up lines on myself, it’s a good ego boost. This doesn’t just happen over-night, sweetheart,” he gestured to his face.

You snorted with laughter, almost cutting your fingers off.

“I’m going to be stuck with that image for a while,” You laughed, picturing Sirius in a bath towel and fussing over his hair whilst blowing kisses to his reflection.

“I’m sure you will,” he winked.

You began to work in silence as you prepared the ingredients, your arms occasionally brushing against each other, sending tingles through your body each time. You were having difficulty focusing on the task as your eyes kept flickering over to Sirius’ strong hands carefully peeling a Root of Aconite, and his forearms tensing as he crushed the Moonstone. You remembered those strong, warm arms wrapped tightly around you as he lifted you out of the trick step, his chest firm against your back and his warm breath on your neck.

“Something wrong, Y/L/N?”

“No,” You replied quickly, silently cursing yourself. You had been so lost in thought that you had been openly staring at him, longer than you’d wished to admit.

As you raised your wand to light a fire under the cauldron, you paused midway. “Actually…yes,” You said, biting your lip.

He raised his eyebrows curiously, his grey eyes meeting yours.

“I wanted to thank you…for yesterday,” You gulped, feeling suddenly vulnerable.

“You already thanked me,” he frowned, still staring at you.

“I know,” You said, licking your lips and lighting a fire under the cauldron as an excuse to avoid his gaze. “I just want you to know that…I…” you took a deep breath. “Appreciate you helping me.”

He blinked, before a small smile slowly began to form on his face. “Don’t mention it.”

You nodded awkwardly before adding ingredients to the potion, hoping Sirius couldn’t hear your heart thumping against your rib cage.

You began concentrating on your potion after that, or at least you tried to. You continued to become distracted by the handsome 7th year next to you. Your heart almost leaped out of your chest when he quickly grabbed your hand to stop you adding Peppermint because you were too busy watching him stir the potion.   
It seemed you were not the only one having difficulty concentrating; Sirius kept fumbling with the ingredients, and at one point he dropped an entire jar of Pearl Dust on the floor, much to Professor Slughorns disapproval.

You continued this way for the remainder of the lesson, sharing small, awkward smiles whenever you’d catch the other’s eye.

“By now, your potion should be a deep pink colour with a slight pearly sheen,” Slughorn announced as he paced around the room, inspecting student’s cauldrons. “And you will begin to smell a particular scent.”

“I don’t smell anything,” Mulciber grunted, whose potion was a disgusting brown colour.

“Oohh! I smell coffee!” Mary squealed, as her and Lily bent over their potion. “And the smell of rain!”

“Ah! Don’t you just love the smell of Lilies,” James grinned, sending a wink at Lily who was smiling at him, a slight blush on her cheeks.

You snickered, shaking your head at the love-struck James Potter. You turned back around to see Sirius leaning over the cauldron, taking a big sniff.

“Care to share?” You asked, quirking an eyebrow inquisitively.

He looked over at you, a strange expression flashing across his face before it disappeared and replaced with a wide grin.

“Ladies first.”

“Fine,” You said leaning forward and inhaling in the fumes. “I smell…freshly baked cookies…vanilla…and…” You frowned, leaning closer and taking in a huge breath. “Wet dog…?”

Sirius suddenly made a strange noise which immediately turned into a sudden coughing fit. You looked up at him bewildered, as you watched him cough into his fist and glancing over his shoulder at James.

“Are you ok…?” You asked, raising your hand slightly, unsure whether to thump him on the back.

“Yeah,” he began, his voice husky. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, fine. The fumes made me cough,” he added with a forced nonchalance.

You narrowed your eyes at him, unsure what to make of his sudden ‘cough attack’. As he busied himself with packing away the ingredients, his eyes alight with humour; you couldn’t shake the feeling that you were missing something; something very important; something that Sirius found highly amusing.

You opened your mouth to confront him, but got cut off by the bell sounding.

“Everyone, put a sample of your potion in a flask, label it clearly and bring it up to the front,” Professor Slughorn instructed from behind his desk. “Then you may leave.”

Sirius grabbed a flask and scooped a small portion of the Amortentia into it, a hint of a smirk on his face.

“Wait!” You suddenly remembered. “You have to tell me what you smelled!”

“Sorry Y/L/N,” he smirked, labelling the flask and quickly packing up his belongings. “We’re out of time.”

“That’s not fair!” You argued, glaring at him. “We made a deal!”

“No, I don’t believe we did,” he grinned, swinging his bag onto his shoulder. “And I’m very glad we didn’t, because the look on your face right now is priceless!”

He barked with laughter as he handed Slughorn the flask and walked out with James without a backwards glance, leaving you sitting at the desk, mouth hanging open and completely dumbfounded.

“Umm…Y/N?” You blinked and looked around to see Lily standing next to you, her bag over her shoulder and an odd look on her face. “You ok?”

“Yeah, sorry, just lost in thought,” You said shaking your head as you packed away your belongings. “You go ahead to Arithmancy, Lils,” You told her, wiping up Boom Berry juice which you had spilled earlier. “I’ll catch up.”

“Alright, I’ll save you a seat,” she smiled before bidding Slughorn goodbye and heading off to her next class.

You quickly cleaned up the mess and stuffed your textbook back in your bag before quickly exiting the classroom. You quickly walked down the corridor and headed up the Grand Staircase towards your Arithmancy class, passing students hurrying towards their next lesson.

You were still fuming at Sirius worming his way out of telling you what he smelled in the Amortentia. ‘Why are you so desperate to know what Black’s favourite scents are?’ A voice suddenly asked you.

‘I’m not desperate! I’m just curious!’ You silently argued back. ‘I mean, it’s Sirius Black! Who wouldn’t be curious!?’ You walked down the third-floor corridor, passing a group of first years arguing over where the Library is located.

’Or maybe…’ the voice began slowly. ‘You were hoping you would be one of his scents…’

You grinded your teeth in fury but was suddenly distracted from your silent argument when you found yourself outside the Arithmancy classroom. You had been so lost in thought that you didn’t even realise you had arrived.

You opened the door, saying a quick apology to Professor Vector before taking a seat next to Lily in the back row.

“The Chaldean method is very complicated,” Vector explained to the class, holding up a chart of complicated symbols and numbers. “We do not use the number nine with this method, as opposed to the Agrippan method.”   
She pointed her wand at a stack of parchments on her desk, sending each to land in front of a student. “You are to complete all 20 questions on the Chaldean method. You have all completed your homework so this shouldn’t be too difficult; however there is a diagram on page 316 in Advanced Arithmancy that will help you.”

It became quiet as she sat behind her desk and started to correct a large stack of essays. The only sound that could be heard was the scratching of quills, the shuffling of parchment or a sigh of frustration.

You began to read over the diagram when a piece of parchment was placed over your textbook. You glanced to your left at Lily to see her bent over her book, her eyes flicking over to you, before you read the note.

“What’s going on between you and Sirius?”

You frowned, glancing up at the teacher before replying.

“Nothing. Why?”

You handed the parchment back to her. She huffed quietly, scribbled for a few seconds and sent it back to you.

“You both looked very cosy together in Potions.”

“We were being friendly.”

“It looked more than friendly to me.”

You looked up at Lily to see her smirking; she sent you a small wink before nodding towards the parchment.

“Look, Lily, there’s nothing going on between me and Sirius. We’re just on good terms now. I think.”

Lily gave a small snort, which she quickly turned into a cough before writing her reply.

“Oh please Y/N! You think I haven’t noticed you two spying on one another? You’ve been dancing around each other all week!”

You licked your lips, you mouth suddenly dry. You hadn’t realised that Lily had noticed you staring at him; you thought you had been so subtle. Your quill hovered over the parchment as you desperately tried to think of a good reply. Just as you were about to write, another note landed on top.

“I can tell you like him.”

Your eyes widened and you felt your face heat up.

“I don’t like him. He’s just a friend.”

“He has feelings for you too, I can tell.”

You gaped at the words.

“Sirius doesn’t have feelings for me; he never has and he never will!”

“Ok, I didn’t want to have to succumb to this but you leave me no choice. You’ve been saying his name in your sleep.”

It was your turn to give a loud gasp which you attempted to turn into a cough, but not quiet succeeding the same elegance as Lily. You quickly glanced up at the teacher and surrounding students, before returning to the note.

“It’s…not what it looks like! I…I’ve just been having flashbacks to 2 weeks ago, you know, the shower incident…”

“Look, Y/N, I don’t want to pressure you. If you haven’t come to realise your feelings yet, then I’m not going to force you; you have to figure that out on your own. Just…think about it, ok? I want you to be happy; I think you’re good for him.”

You bit your lip as you read over her reply, thoroughly confused. Yes, you thought that Sirius was handsome, who doesn’t!? And yes, you’ve been looking at him every now and then, but that was only because you were trying to figure out whether you were friends or if you should expect another handful of Podspurt pus thrown in your face. And yes, you’ve been having very brief flashbacks to the shower incident but that’s only because it was the funniest thing you’ve ever seen. None of this means that you have feelings for Sirius Black!

Right…?

You read over her reply again, frowning when you re-read the last sentence. ‘I think you’re good for him.’ Hadn’t you heard those exact words last week from Remus Lupin…?

You went to dip your quill in your ink bottle, planning to question Lily when Professor Vector spoke.

“You should all be halfway through your questions by now. If you don’t finish them in today’s class, then it’ll be homework.”

You jumped, realising that you still had your questions to complete. Stuffing the notes in your pocket, you hastily got to work, not wanting to add more work to your already huge stack of homework. You put Sirius to the back of your mind; you’d worry about it later. Besides, you thought as you scribbled down the answer to question 5, it’s not like Sirius is wasting his time thinking about me.


	5. Part 5

It was a cold Saturday morning in the 7th year Gryffindor boys’ dormitories.

“Prongs! Where’s my chocolate?” Remus called, bent over James’ trunk and ruffling through it. He had been searching for his ‘not-so-secret’ stash of Honeyduke’s chocolate for the past 10 minutes.

“I dunno,” James answered from the bathroom, his mouth full of toothpaste. “Wormy had some last.”

“No I didn’t,” Peter yawned as he slowly sat up in bed, his voice still groggy from sleep.

“I saw you eating a chocolate frog last night,” James said, walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair dripping wet. Remus huffed and held out his hand towards Peter, who grudgingly dropped a chocolate frog in his hand.

“Oi Pads!” James called as he began to dry his hair. “Wake up!”

Sirius was fast asleep and snoring loudly, his bed sheets tangled around his limbs and his feet twitching as he dreamed.

“Padfoot!” Remus yelled, throwing his pillow at Sirius’ head.

Sirius groaned, nudging the pillow off him before throwing a hand over his face to shield himself from the morning sun. He was not a morning person and preferred to wake up around midday but thanks to his friends, he rarely got the opportunity.

“Come on, Paddy,” James smirked, dropping his towel and quickly pulling on his boxers. “Be a good boy and wake up! I’ll give you a treat!”

Remus and Peter laughed as they sat on Peter’s bed, munching on their chocolate.

Sirius grumbled incoherently and flipped him off.

“That’s not very nice,” Peter laughed. “Bad doggy!”

Sirius grumbled again and pulled his sheets over his head while his friends laughed.

James suddenly got an idea and sent a wink at Remus and Peter before turning to Sirius.

“Sirius! Quick! Get up! Y/L/N’s here!”

“WHAT!” Sirius yelped, jumping out of bed and looking around wildly, his hair resembling a bird’s nest.

The boys howled with laughter, Peter falling off the bed with a thump.

“Tossers!” Sirius grumbled once he realised Y/N was not in the room. He threw himself on his bed and glared at his friends who were beside themselves with laughter. “It’s not funny.”

“Yes it is,” Remus chuckled, breaking a large slab of Honeyduke’s Best Chocolate into small pieces.

“It’s only fair, considering the number of times you teased me about Lily,” James smirked. “Payback’s a bitch.”

Sirius whined, running a hand through his tangled hair. He had to admit, James had a point. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d teased James about his deep affection for Lily Evans. If he knew that he’d too be falling for a girl and making a complete fool of himself, then he probably would’ve cut James some slack. Payback really is a bitch!

“Want some Pads?” Peter asked, holding up a large piece of chocolate. Sirius nodded, still pouting at his friends. Peter threw the chocolate over to him, his bad aim almost making Sirius fall off the bed to catch it. He settled back into bed, nibbling on his chocolate and drowning out his friend’s voices as he became lost in thought.

He never really payed much attention to girls. It’s not that he didn’t notice them because he certainly did, but he was never interested in having what James has with Lily; a relationship. Being close to a person other than his friends was not something he exactly fancied…until recently.

He’d always known that Y/N was very attractive, but he never thought anything more than that. She was just a fellow Gryffindor. Nothing more.

But he soon found himself noticing the attractive 7th year a lot more. He’d catch himself thinking of her smile as he cleaned the bed pans in the Hospital Wing; his eyes would slowly drift over to her as he drowned out Binns’ droning voice in History of Magic; and he found himself searching for Y/N’s name on the Marauder’s Map on more than one occasion before he horribly realised what he was doing.   
He never told his friends this was happening of course; he knew they would immediately jump to the insane conclusion that he was falling for his fellow Gryffindor peer…which he certainly was not!

However it seemed luck was not on his side, or more like his friends were not on his side. One moment he was having a relaxing shower, putting his long hair to good use as he danced to his guilty pleasure song, and the next moment he thought he would die of embarrassment. Not only was he utterly humiliated, but he also came to a horrifying realisation that there was a slight possibility he had feelings for Y/N.

FLASHBACK

“I’m sorry, Black,” Y/N said, biting her lip as she backed away to the door. “I’ll just go now.”

She fumbled with the door handle for a few moments before pulling it open and slamming the door behind her.

Sirius stood frozen in the middle of the room, his mouth open and his hands clutching his wet towel. His wet hair was dripping down his face and into his eyes but he couldn’t find the strength to wipe them.

“That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!” James cried. He was bent over gasping for air and looking like Christmas had come early.

“I’d say I’m sorry,” Remus began, his face red from laughter. “But I’m not!”

That caused another round of laughter from the boys, effectively snapping Sirius out of his daze. He grabbed James’ sneakoscope off his bedside table and threw it straight at Remus’ head, hitting him with a loud thunk!

“Ouch!”

“That. Was. Not. Funny!” Sirius growled, breathing heavily and pacing between the beds. His face was slowly returning to its normal colour, but he still felt light-headed. ‘Please let this be a dream! A horrible dream!’ he thought to himself as he readjusted his towel.

“Yes it was,” Peter chuckled, plonking himself down on James’ bed as he watched Sirius pace around the room.

“You would’ve done the same to me, Padfoot,” James snickered, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

Sirius whipped around. “I would never!” he said indignantly.

James raised an eyebrow, quizzically.

“Well…maybe…” he mumbled, crossing his arms. “But that’s not the point!”

“Cheer up, Pads,” Remus chuckled, rubbing his tired eyes and throwing himself on his bed. “It’s not like you’ve never embarrassed yourself before.”

“Yeah,” James agreed, running his hand through his hair. “It’s only Y/L/N, anyway.”

“Easy for you to say,” Sirius said, sitting next to Peter and throwing his head in his hands. “How would you like it if Lily heard you singing in the shower like a moron?”

“Well, it’s not anything she hasn’t heard—Wait a minute…” James pushed himself away from the wall and watched Sirius closely. “Why do you care what Y/L/N thinks?”

Remus sat up and stared at Sirius, a slight crease between his eyes, and Peter looked puzzled, his eyes flickering from James to Sirius.

Sirius looked up at James, suddenly lost for words. “I…I don’t care what she thinks. I’m just…pissed off that she saw me. That’s all.”

James’ eyes suddenly lit up. He looked over at Remus whose eyes were as wide as saucepans and a smile slowly forming on his face.

“You like her,” James said suddenly, his face lighting up as if a lightbulb had been switched on in his head.

Peter gasped, staring at Sirius.

“What!?” Sirius cried, jumping up and accidently dislodging his towel. “I don’t like her!” He argued, quickly catching his towel and wrapping it firmly back around his waist.

“Then why are you so embarrassed?” Remus asked, smirking.

“’Cos she heard me singing the fucking Bee Gees! In the bathroom! Singing!” He was throwing his hands in the air wildly, barely missing Peter’s head.

“Padfoot,” James began, trying to hold back a smirk. “I’ve known you for a long time and I have never seen you this embarrassed before. Not even when you called Mcgonagall ‘Mum’.”

Sirius gaped at him. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Ok so, he admired Y/N from afar every now and then…but that didn’t mean anything; it just means that he finds her attractive. ‘Ah, but if it were just attraction, why do you feel jealous whenever she talks to another male student?’ an annoying voice asked in his head. He began to pace up and down again, grabbing fistfuls of his hair.

“Now that I think about it, you have been looking at her an awful lot,” Remus said, watching Sirius pull out his hair.

“I caught you staring at her once in History of Magic,” Peter piped up, squinting at Sirius. “I thought you were just day-dreaming.”

“Oh, he was day-dreaming all right,” James laughed, clapping his hands and jumping up and down in excitement.

Sirius looked over at James, his eyes wide. “I don’t like her,” he repeated almost desperately.

“Oh Paddy,” James smirked, clapping Sirius on the back. “We’re Marauders. We’re immune to embarrassment by now; what with all the dumb shit we’ve done over the years. So you need to ask yourself…what makes this time any different?”

Sirius frowned, staring at his smirking friend. ‘Why am I embarrassed?’ he asked himself. ‘I’ve done so much stupid shit over the years; been caught in many awkward situations, and yet I’ve never even blushed before!’ He pictured Y/N’s face, staring at his half naked body and biting her lip in a poor attempt to hold back laughter. Just thinking about it made him want to sink into a deep, dark hole and never climb out.

“Oh!” Sirius gasped suddenly, looking wildly at his friends. “Oh shit!”

“Now he gets it,” Remus chuckled, watching Sirius’ comical reaction. “Took you long enough.”

Sirius collapsed next to Peter, staring blankly at the wall. “How did this happen?”

“That’s the funny thing about love,” James smirked, rubbing his hands together excitedly, a mischievous glint in his eye. “It sneaks up on you.”

He nodded his head slowly before realising what James had said. “Love? I don’t love her!”

Remus snorted, sharing a look with James.

“I don’t! I barely like her,” Sirius insisted. “Besides, I’ll be over her soon anyway.”

“You’ll definitely be over her very soon,” James snickered. “Or maybe under her if you’re lucky…Puppy-Foot. Get it! ‘Cause you’re a little puppy in love—”

Sirius grabbed James’ ‘Quidditch Through the Ages’ book and threw it at him.

END FLASHBACK

While his friends found his new-found romantic interest in Y/N absolutely hilarious, he most certainly did not. Just the thought of having a crush on another person made him cringe. So he decided to do the responsible, mature thing—ignore his feelings. While his friends thought this was the dumbest plan he had ever come up with (including the time he pretended to be James’ pet dog for a whole year, who seemed to frequently mysteriously disappear), he thought this was a brilliant plan.   
And to prove to his friends (and himself) that he was adamant on supressing his feelings for Y/N, he decided to have a little payback in Herbology. While it was possibly one of the funniest things he had ever seen, watching Y/N’s horrified face splattered with Podspurt Pus, he couldn’t help but think how adorably cute she looked as she glared daggers at him.

He found himself staring at Y/N even more. His heart would skip a beat whenever he spotted her at the Gryffindor table chatting to her friends; or walk past her in the halls on the way to class. His heart almost leaped out of his chest when he caught her staring at him and he dropped an entire jug of pumpkin juice all over Peter’s Transfiguration homework.

He soon realised that he could no longer stubbornly supress his feelings for Y/N. After finding her trapped in the vanishing step, her face pink with blush glaring at him like an adorable kitten, he realised how much he cared for the feisty 7th year Gryffindor. There was no hiding it anymore; he’d fallen for Y/N, and fallen hard!

FLASHBACK

“I can’t do this anymore! I’m falling for her and I need your help!” Sirius announced slamming the dormitory door behind him. Remus and Peter looked up at the sudden noise. They were sitting on Remus’ bed, hunched over a pile of parchments.

“Who?” Peter asked. Remus looked at him, eyebrows raised.

“McGonagall,” Sirius said staring at Peter whose mouth fell open in shock. “It’s Y/L/N, you idiot!”

“Well about fucking time,” Remus said turning back to his textbook. “James has been driving me crazy trying to come up with a plan to get your stubborn ass to accept your feelings.”

Sirius ran a hand through his hair and threw himself on his bed, groaning dramatically. “What do I do? I’ve never had feelings for a girl before; I don’t even know where to start!”

“It’s not the end of the world, Pup-Foot,” Remus said, shuffling through the parchments.

“Yes it is. And stop calling me Pup-Foot!”

“Why don’t you ask Prongs for advice,” Peter suggested, fiddling with his quill and frowning thoughtfully.

“Advice for what?” James asked walking in the dormitory, his Quidditch robes soaking wet and covered in mud.

“Pup-Foot needs advice on how to charm a lady,” Remus smirked, ignoring Sirius’ protests about his new nickname. “He’s in love!”

James’ mouth dropped, staring at Remus for a few seconds before whooping with laughter. “About bloody time, mate!” He threw his broomstick on the floor and began removing his Quidditch gear and uniform, a wide grin on his face. “I was this close to locking you two in a broom closet for a few hours.”

Sirius huffed and sat up, facing his friends. “What do I do now?”

“You have to woo her, my little Puppy!” James said, winking at Sirius as he tried to undo the buttons on his soaked shirt.

“Um…I don’t know about that…” Sirius frowned, looking doubtful.

“What? It worked with Lily,” James said.

“Yeah that’s true,” Remus nodded, a hint of a smirk on his face. “Take James’ advice and you should be with Y/N in a few years.”

Remus, Peter and Sirius snorted with laughter while James scowled at his friends.

“Why don’t you just ask her out to Hogsmeade?” Peter suggested.

“Nah, that won’t work,” James said, finally removing his shirt. “She’ll probably say no, especially after you threw pus at her.”

“I still can’t believe you threw pus in her face,” Remus snorted, shaking his head.

“You need to be friends with her,” James continued. “That’s what I did with Lily after she turned me down. I realised that she had to get to know me a bit better before she would even think about dating me.”

“So…you think we should be friends first?” Sirius asked, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

“Exactly. Just talk to her; let her get to know you better. Let her see that you’re more than just the idiot she heard singing in the shower and the moron who threw pus in her face,” James explained.

“That’s…actually pretty good advice,” Remus said looking impressed. “I can only imagine what your advice would’ve been three years ago.”

“Probably something about pretending I have an illness and the only cure is her saliva,” Sirius smirked.

“Hey! That was a real illness!” James scowled. “It’s not my fault I got the cure wrong!”

END FLASHBACK

Sirius had taken James’ advice and tried to be friendly with Y/N before showing his true feelings. This proved easier said than done. He couldn’t help but annoy her every now and then so he could watch her adorable reaction. Her anger was no scarier than a cute angry kitten.

When he was partnered up with Y/N in Potions, he was both disappointed to leave his best mate and excited for the opportunity to talk to her. He was quite proud of himself, being in such close proximity to her and still able to mask his feelings. He should thank his years of experience of hiding behind his walls, rarely letting people see his true self. Although he couldn’t stop himself from occasionally brushing his arm against Y/N’s or watching her from the corner of his eye; something he later regretted as he smashed a jar of Pearl Dust when he saw Y/N’s perfect teeth sink into her pink lower lip, causing him to briefly fantasise about him doing that to her.

He shouldn’t have been so surprised when he smelled Y/N’s shampoo in the Amortentia, along with the smell of fresh air and James’ cologne. But he was absolutely gobsmacked when he discovered Y/N’s scent…wet dog. Of course it’s entirely possible that Y/N owns a dog back at home, but this theory was later debunked by Remus who informed him she only owns a cat, Peanut.

It didn’t seem that his friends were all that surprised when he had informed them what Y/N had smelled in the Amortentia. James burst out in uncontrollable laughter, drawing attention of passing students hurrying towards their next class. Peter’s jaw dropped and looked between his friends as if unsure how to react. And Remus only nodded, smiling knowingly.

Their teasing only got worse after that but Sirius didn’t really care, not after finding out that his feelings are not one-sided after all. He couldn’t stop a wide grin spreading across his face every time he saw her, whether it be in class, in the Great Hall or simply passing each other in the halls. And his heart would skip a beat when her eyes would lock with his. It felt like he wasn’t in control of himself when he was around her; he’d spent many years keeping his inner feelings and emotions to himself but now he’d lost control, and this both exhilarated and terrified him.

“PADFOOT!”

He jumped, almost choking on his chocolate as he was brought out of his thoughts. He looked up to see his friends smirking at him.

“We’ve been saying your name for ages, mate,” James chuckled, laying on his bed and throwing a Quaffle up and down, easily catching it one-handed.

“Sorry, just lost in thought,” Sirius said, shaking his head and propping himself up against the headboard.

“Thinking about your future wife?” Remus smirked, patching up his worn-out textbooks with spello-tape.

James and Peter laughed and started to hum the Wedding March song.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his idiot friends. “Nah, I was thinking about how much Lily is better suited to me than Prongs,” he smirked. “It’s only a matter of time before she comes to her senses.”

James threw the Quaffle at him.

“When are you going to talk to Y/N” Remus asked while James pouted.

“I have spoken to her,” Sirius frowned, playing with the Quaffle. “We talk all the time.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “I don’t mean exchanging pleasantries or talking about the plumbing.” 

“That was hysterical! I’m not even that terrible at flirting!” James laughed, sitting up straight and twirling his hair around his finger in an exaggerated imitation of Sirius. “Did you know that Hogwarts didn’t even have toilets until the late 1800’s? Before then, wizards would just drop their pants and do their business anywhere.”

Sirius threw the Quaffle back at James, landing straight on his groin. James’ eyes bulged and he let out a loud choking noise before falling off his bed.

“I meant having an actual conversation with her,” Remus continued, ignoring James’ groans and loud cursing. “If you keep going at this rate, you won’t get a first date with her until the end of the year.”

“I’m just…biding my time,” Sirius said, twirling the last bit of melted chocolate between his fingers.

“If you wait any longer, she’ll probably move on and end up dating someone else,” Peter said.

“Wormys right,” James huffed, pulling himself onto his bed. “You better make your move before someone else does.” He settled himself comfortably on his bed and rearranged his boxers, before adding, “Wanker.”

“The truth is…I don’t really know how,” Sirius admitted, avoiding his friends’ gaze. He hated opening up to people and his friends were no exception. “I mean…I’ve never…had…feelings…for someone before. This is all kind of foreign to me.” He glanced up at his friends who were staring at him, lost in thought.

“Just talk to her like you talk to us,” James suggested, frowning thoughtfully. “She obviously likes you, so you don’t have to do anything different.”

“Just don’t talk about toilets or doing your business,” Remus smirked. “While it was hilarious, I don’t think it would help you land a date.”

“Right,” Sirius nodded, shoving the last piece of chocolate in his mouth. It was times like this that he really appreciated his friends; they always know how to act when he’s…vulnerable. The only time he had an actual heart to heart was when he ran away from home and turned up on James’ doorstep. He never enjoyed talking about his deep inner feelings or insecurities.

“Look at the time!” Peter whined, checking Remus’ watch. “We’ve missed breakfast!”

“Not to worry, Wormtail,” James said, carefully standing up. “We’ll take a quick detour to the kitchens.”

Sirius hopped out of bed and grabbed his robes off the floor, thinking about his friends’ advice while they were ruffling through their trunks and making their dorm even messier than before. He was both nervous and excited to talk to Y/N, but he had to make sure it’s natural – he couldn’t just walk up to her in the Common Room and start chatting about Hogsmeade.

As he made his way down to the kitchens, laughing at James’ recount of Bertram Aubrey trying win Lily’s affections, he repeated Remus’ words earlier. ‘Future wife.’ The thought of becoming someone’s husband was not exactly ideal; he’d never even been in a relationship so he didn’t really know what to expect. Whenever Mrs Potter would bring up the topic of ‘girls’ or ‘dating’, he’d quickly change the subject.   
But maybe it’s because it’s early; or he hasn’t had his usual large breakfast yet; or maybe it’s because of the terrifying war occurring outside Hogwarts’ walls. Whatever the cause, he was surprised to find that the thought of a long-term committed relationship didn’t send chills down his spine.


	6. Part 6

You yawned widely as you descended the Grand Staircase, your heavy bag full of books digging into your shoulder. Sundays were usually ‘sleep-in’ days for you, but you could no longer ignore your increasing mountain of homework. It seemed like with every essay you completed, another 5 more were added; you just couldn’t keep up. So you dragged yourself out of bed at the break of dawn, planning to spend your day off in the Library. Yippee!

You reached the first floor and dragged your feet towards the Library corridor, barely noticing where you were walking. As you turned a corner you suddenly bumped into a tall, solid figure.

“Sorry!” You apologised, quickly rubbing your tired eyes and looking up at the face of a very menacing-looking Mulciber. ‘Great!’ you thought to yourself as you noticed his Slytherin friends, Avery and Snape, behind him. ‘I really don’t have the energy for this’.

“Watch where you’re going, filthy Mudblood!” he growled, glaring menacingly down at you.

“I think you better look in the mirror before you call me ‘filth’,” You snapped, not in the mood for his bullshit. You whipped out your wand, gripping it tightly. You still haven’t forgotten what Mulciber did to Mary.

“I’d be careful if I were you, Mudblood,” Mulciber hissed, as Avery and Snape slowly pulled out their wands. “You may be protected at Hogwarts but once you graduate, you’ll no longer have your little friends around to save you.”

“I don’t need them to save me,” You said coolly. “I can take care of myself.”

Mulciber laughed, the sound making the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Avery and Snape snickered, wands raised.

“We shall see,” Mulciber whispered, an evil glint in his eye.

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” You growled, preparing yourself for an attack at any moment.

“Well…the dark lord wants to purify the world of Mudbloods,” Mulciber smirked, fingering his wand. “And I will happily purify the world of you and your filthy family.”

You gasped, jabbing your wand to his throat. “Say that again!” You growled threateningly. You couldn’t remember ever feeling so angry; you could feel the rage pumping through your veins. For the first time ever, you wanted nothing more than to make Mulciber feel pain; excruciating pain.

Avery and Snape stepped forward, preparing to disarm you but Mulciber waved them off. He did not seem to fear the wand jabbing into his throat. On the contrary, he seemed quite entertained.

“Go ahead,” he goaded you, smirking. “Do it.”

You frowned, feeling your anger slowly die away. He clearly wanted an excuse to severely harm you and you were not going to give him the opportunity or the satisfaction. There would be plenty of time for revenge once you’ve left Hogwarts.

“You know what,” You said, lowering your wand. “You’re not even worth it…Filth.”

Mulciber’s response was so quick; you didn’t even have time to raise your wand. A loud bang sounded throughout the hall and you were thrown backwards, hitting the wall behind you and falling to the ground, your wand clattering to the stone floor next to you.

You gasped for air as you reached for your wand, you could hear the Slytherins’ footsteps approaching.

“You’re not as tough as you sound, eh Mudblood,” Avery smirked.

“Pathetic,” Snape agreed, sneering at you.

“Oppugno!” You gasped, pointing your wand at a suit of armour. It sped towards them, causing the three Slytherins to whip around, allowing time for you to scramble to your feet.

“Stupefy!” You shouted, just as Snape whipped back around and he fell to the ground, stunned. Mulciber and Avery quickly advanced towards you.

“Impedime—”

You were blasted off your feet once again, completely winded.

Mulciber and Avery snickered, clearly enjoying your struggle.

“You’re no match for us, Y/L/N,” Avery sneered, watching you slowly sit up. You could feel bruises forming all over your body.

“Do you really think you’ll get away with this?” You gasped, forcing yourself to reach for your wand. You could tell at least a few ribs were broken.

“What are we meant to be afraid of? Dumbledore?” Mulciber laughed, he looked almost drunk with power. “That old oaf won’t be in power for much longer; not when the dark lord becomes stronger.”

“I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you,” You spat, trying not to show any pain as you stood up. “You’ll both be thrown to the dementors the moment you leave Hogwarts. Good riddance!”

Avery growled and sent a Stinging Hex towards you which you quickly blocked with a Shield Charm. You swiftly sent a Disarming Charm towards the two Slytherins, but Mulciber was too quick.

“Sectumsempra!” Mulciber shouted, sending a jet of white light towards you.

You tried to quickly jump out of the way but you were not fast enough in your exhausted state. The curse grazed along your side, causing a painful gash along your ribs.

You fell to the ground in a heap, blood pouring from the deep wound.

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!”

You looked up just in time to see a furious Sirius Black sending a jet of red light towards Mulciber. James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were right on his tails, charging forward towards the two Slytherins.

You felt your head spinning and your vision was becoming blurry. You felt hands pressing onto your side and a panicked voice calling your name before everything went black.

****  
“—still in Dumbledore’s office.”

“I’ve never seen him look so angry.”

“They should be expelled.”

“They should be thrown in Azkaban!”

The voices sounded muffled, like you were underwater. You tried to understand what they were saying but you felt so exhausted that it took so much energy for you to process the words. As the voices slowly became clearer, you felt pain throughout your body. Your whole body felt bruised and battered, and you felt a sharp pain in your side that became more painful by the second.

“This is the second time Mulciber has attacked another student,” a female voice said. “I don’t think Dumbledore will give him another chance.”

You suddenly remembered what had happened. Images of Mulciber and Avery towering over you flashed before your eyes. Your eyes snapped open. You were in the hospital wing, surrounded by the 7th year Gryffindors.

“She’s awake!” Marlene gasped. Everyone looked down at you, their faces full of relief.

“How’re you feeling?” Lily asked, gently brushing your hair away from your eyes.

“Not bad,” You croaked; your mouth felt dry. “Can I have some water, please?”

James grabbed a jug of water from the bedside table and poured you a glass. You pushed yourself up into a sitting position and cried out in pain when you felt a deep, searing pain in your side causing you to fall back onto the bed.

“Careful!” Lily cried, flaying her hands over you as if unsure where to touch you. “Madame Pomfrey managed to stop the bleeding but it’ll take some time to heal.”

You nodded and gritted your teeth as the searing pain slowly died away.

“I’ll let her know you’re awake,” Lily added and she hurried off towards her office.

“Remus, help me sit her up,” James said, holding the glass of water in one hand and gently sliding the other underneath your back.

“How long was I out?” You croaked.

“About six hours,” Remus replied with a small smile as he and James carefully lifted you, allowing you to have a few sips, the cool water soothing your throat.

As you lay back down, you noticed Sirius sitting on a chair towards the end of your bed; his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clenched into tight fists as he stared at you. His hair was a tangled mess, as if he had repeatedly ran his hands through it and his robes were covered in blood—your blood.

Just when you opened your mouth to speak to him, Madame Pomfrey entered.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake, Y/L/N,” she said, carrying a steaming mug of purple liquid. “I need to check her wounds,” she added to the others. They stood up and moved aside while Pomfrey placed the mug on the table and drew the curtains around your bed.

“You were in a bad state when you came in,” Pomfrey brisked as she carefully opened your gown and pulled back the bandages. “This is not a usual Severing Charm so it’s more difficult to heal.”

“It will heal though, right?” You asked, wincing slightly when she inspected the wound.

“Yes, certainly,” she answered, removing the blood soaked bandages and replacing it with new ones. “It’ll take some time though and it will leave a scar.”

You sighed, nodding. “How bad was I?”

“Three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a fractured wrist,” she said, closing your gown and stirring the steaming mug. “I healed them immediately, of course. But your wound is a bit more complicated. Drink,” she ordered, sitting you up carefully and placing the mug at your lips.

You tried not to gag as you swallowed the potion and you could feel it burning as it slid down your throat.

“That’ll help with the pain as well as the healing,” she said, as you lay back down, grimacing at the aftertaste. She drew back the curtains and your friends settled back into their seats around your bed. 

“I’ll let you all stay another hour but then you must leave; Miss Y/L/N needs her rest,” Pomfrey ordered before bustling back to her office.

You looked around at Lily, Mary, Marlene, James, Remus, Peter and Sirius’ faces; they were all looking at you as if you were on your death bed.

“I’m ok,” You assured them. “Just a bit sore.”

“You didn’t look ‘ok’ when we found you,” Sirius spoke up, his voice was almost as croaky as yours. “You were covered in blood, I couldn’t stop the bleeding.”

“What happened?” You asked. “The last I remember is you boys fighting Mulciber and Avery.”

“We arrived just in time,” James said, shaking his head. “Any later and you probably would’ve bled to death.”

“We were on the second floor and we could hear banging and shouting,” Peter explained. “It was really loud; I’m surprised no one else heard.”

“We thought we’d better check it out, just in case,” James said, a dark look on his face. “We turned the corner just in time to see Mulciber use that dark curse Snape invented.”

Lily made a low growling noise beside you and Mary and Marlene were shaking their heads, disgusted.

“We disarmed Mulciber and Avery, and Sirius and Peter rushed you to the hospital wing while Remus and I took the Slytherins to McGonagall’s office,” James continued. “Then Dumbledore arrived; he was furious.”

“They’re in Dumbledore’s office now,” Remus added. “He said he’ll see you once he’s done talking to them.”

You nodded slowly, taking this all in; your brain was working a lot slower than usual. “So what happens now? Are they expelled?” You asked.

“We’re not sure,” Lily answered. “James and I tried convincing Dumbledore to at least expel Mulciber, since this isn’t the first time he’s severely injured someone, but he said he’ll take it into consideration.”

“What happened?” Mary asked, leaning around Lily to look at you. “Avery was crapping on about ‘self-defence’ but we know that’s bullshit, of course.”

“I accidentally bumped into Mulciber on the way to the Library and he started saying stuff about my family,” You explained. “It all kind of just escalated after that.”

You glanced over at Sirius who was still staring at you, his grey eyes looking slightly pained.

Mary frowned, looking disgusted. “I can’t wait until we—”

She broke off when the hospital wing doors suddenly opened and Albus Dumbledore appeared, his warm smile and twinkling eyes sending calmness through you.

“Ah! I’m glad to see you’re awake, Miss Y/L/N,” Dumbledore smiled as he approached your bed. “There’s no need Mr Potter, thank you,” Dumbledore added when James stood to offer him his chair. Dumbledore took out his wand and conjured a comfy armchair between James and Peter.

“Now, I am sure you are all wondering what was discussed in my office, however I must first ask how Miss Y/L/N is feeling,” Dumbledore smiled at you over his half-moon spectacles, placing his hands on his lap patiently.

“I’m fine,” You answered, feeling a bit awkward with eight pairs of eyes staring at you. “Just a bit sore but nothing I can’t handle.”

“Excellent,” Dumbledore said, before looking around at the others. “Now, Mr Mulciber, Mr Avery and Mr Snape have all given me their accounts of what had happened—“

“You mean, fake accounts,” Marlene mumbled.

Dumbledore’s lips twitched slightly but he continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “I have also spoken with their parents and have alerted the Ministry of this incident,” Dumbledore paused and looked at all of you before continuing. “Mr Mulciber and Mr Avery will receive detention every Saturday and Sunday until the end of the year—”

“What!?” Sirius interrupted, looking outraged. Everyone stared at Dumbledore as if he’d gone mad.

“They almost kill Y/N and all they get is a slap on the wrist?” Lily said, looking utterly dumbfounded.

“I understand your confusion—”

“They need to be thrown in Azkaban! They’re death eaters!” Sirius exclaimed.

“This is the second time Mulciber has attacked someone!” Mary said furiously.

“What makes you think they won’t do it again?” Remus asked, perplexed.

“At least get rid of Mulciber; he’s the one that cast that dark curse!” Marlene objected.

Dumbledore raised his hand and everyone fell silent. Sirius was glaring at Dumbledore and breathing heavily.

“I understand your confusion and your concern,” he continued calmly. “However, measures have been implemented to ensure they will not harm another student for the remainder of their year at Hogwarts.”

“What measures?” You asked, remembering the frightening look on Mulciber’s face as you struggled to defend yourself. Mulciber and Avery had clearly become more powerful at the Dark Arts.

“They are to be escorted to each class by a teacher or at least two prefects,” Dumbledore explained. “And they are to remain in the Slytherin Common Room when not attending class or meals.”

“But that’s not enough,” James spoke up, frowning at Dumbledore. “Look what they did to Y/N; look what they’re capable of.”

“And imagine what they are capable of doing outside of Hogwarts,” Dumbledore said quietly.

Comprehension dawned on everyone’s faces, including yours. You exchanged looks with Lily, knowing she was thinking the same as you. If Mulciber and Avery were to leave Hogwarts now, they would become more of a danger to others as they would have no teachers breathing down their necks. At least whilst they’re at Hogwarts, Dumbledore could keep a close eye on them.

“What about Snape?” Peter asked after a moment of silence. “What’s his punishment?”

“Well, seeing as Mr Snape did not…uh…participate in most of the incident,” Dumbledore explained carefully. “He will serve detention every Thursday night until the end of term.”

You nodded in agreement however not everyone was happy with this decision; Mary and Marlene were exchanging dark looks and Sirius was glaring down at his clenched fists.

“Very well,” Dumbledore smiled again, pulling out a gold pocket watch from the inside of his violet-coloured robes. “I believe that’s everything. I must be heading off; I have a meeting with the Minister.” He stood up and vanished his armchair with a wave of his wand. “I hope you have a fast recovery, Miss Y/L/N. And if you ever wish to see me; I enjoy Sugar Quills.”

You smiled up into Dumbledore’s twinkling eyes as Mary and Marlene frowned at each other. He smiled at your friends before leaving, closing the doors quietly behind him.

“Well…that didn’t go how we expected,” Peter said once Dumbledore had left.

“I understand his reasoning though,” Remus said grimly. “It’s better if they stay right under Dumbledore’s nose rather than join the death eaters full-time.”

“They won’t be in Hogwarts forever,” Sirius said, running a hand through his hair. “I still say they should be thrown in Azkaban.”

“It’ll be hard to get three students sent to Azkaban,” Lily said, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I mean, I know what they did was bad, but they didn’t kill anyone.”

You sighed, rubbing your temples. Trying to process all this information had made you feel even more exhausted than before.

“It’s been over an hour,” Madam Pomfrey announced as she came out of her office. “It’s time for all of you to leave.”

Everyone stood up grudgingly. You looked over at Sirius who didn’t seem very happy at being forced to leave. You remembered his terrifying face as he sent a spell towards Mulciber, and you remembered his panicked voice as he shouted your name.

“Wait, can Sirius stay? I need to talk to him,” You blurted out before you could stop yourself. Sirius looked at you curiously but he made no sign of not wanting to stay with you longer. “It won’t be long,” You added when Madam Pomfrey looked as if she was about to refuse.

“Very well. 10 minutes,” she said before heading back into her office.

If your friends were surprised at your request, they didn’t show it. Lily, Mary and Marlene gave you awkward hugs and a kiss on the cheek.

“We’ll visit you tomorrow,” Lily promised. “Oh, and I grabbed your bag; it’s next to your bed.”

“Feel better, Y/N,” James grinned, squeezing your hand.

“Get some rest,” Remus smiled.

“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Peter said, giving you a small wave.

“Thanks guys,” You smiled, feeling a rush of affection for the three troublemakers. “And thanks for everything.”

“Don’t mention it,” James winked as he headed towards the door with the others. “See you soon, mate,” he added at Sirius before leaving with the group.

It became silent as you and Sirius were left alone in the hospital wing.

He took a seat closest to you and cleared his throat before talking. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to thank you for saving my life,” You smiled awkwardly.

“Anytime,” he smiled, looking slightly puzzled. “But couldn’t you have said that in front of the others, not that I’m complaining.”

You chuckled but stopped immediately when it caused a searing pain in your side. “That’s not all,” You said, biting your lip. Sirius rested his arms on your bed, patiently waiting for you to collect your thoughts as you nervously fiddled with a loose thread in your blankets.

“I was really scared when they were…attacking me. I felt helpless, I felt…weak…” You felt tears gathering in your eyes as you remembered. Sirius grabbed your hand, holding tightly, his grey eyes staring at you. “I know that I’ll be a target when I leave Hogwarts since I’m muggleborn, and that didn’t scare me before because I thought I’d be ok…I could easily defend myself…but…now…I don’t think I will be,” You finished, trying to blink back your tears.

“What do you mean?” Sirius asked, gently wiping your tears off your face and rubbing soothing circles on your hand.

“I couldn’t defend myself against Mulciber and Avery,” You explained desperately. “And they’re still at Hogwarts! So imagine how powerful Voldemort’s army is—I don’t stand a chance!”

“You’re an excellent fighter, Y/N,” Sirius said firmly, gently turning your face to his. “No, really!” he added when you scoffed in disagreement. “I saw you duel Rosier and Aubrey at the Duelling Club last year; it was pretty impressive. And the fact that you took on Mulciber and Avery singlehandedly is even more impressive.”

“I ended up in the hospital wing,” You said, rolling your eyes.

“But you’re alive,” he said, gently brushing your hair behind your ear. “That’s what matters.”

You smiled at him, staring into his sparkling grey eyes. As much as Sirius annoyed you from time to time, he always had a way of cheering you up.

“Look at me,” You scoffed, shaking your head. “I’m supposed to be a Gryffindor and I’m terrified.”

“You’re not the only one,” he said seriously, still holding your hand. “I think we all are. There’s nothing wrong with being scared; it’s how you act on that fear that matters.”

You nodded, thinking his words over. “I’m going to fight,” You said suddenly, his words giving you strength. “In this war, I mean. I’ll take down as many bastards as I can!”

“That’s the spirit!” Sirius beamed, clapping his hands.

You giggled at his reaction, loving the way his eyes light up when he laughs.

“10 minutes is up!” Madam Pomfrey barked. “She needs rest. Out!”

Sirius sighed. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks Sirius,” You smiled.

He leaned down to give you a gentle hug and softly kissed your forehead. “Get some rest, love,” he whispered in your ear before pulling away.

You watched him walk towards the door and give you a quick wave before closing it behind him.

Madam Pomfrey huffed and muttered something about ‘noisy visitors’ before disappearing into her office.

You smiled as you thought of Sirius’ words of wisdom. The incident today had made the war seem much more real and terrifying, but you weren’t going to let that fear control you; you won’t give them the satisfaction.  
You winced as you shifted in the bed, trying to get comfortable. You’d normally have gone to Lily for advice but you had become quite close with Sirius lately. While at first he annoyed you, you soon found yourself looking forward to seeing him; whether it was in class, passing him in the halls or during meal times.  
You chuckled to yourself as you remembered his odd, random fact about the Hogwarts plumbing system. Lily thought he had gone insane, but you found it oddly amusing, and extremely adorable when you saw the light shade of blush on his cheeks.   
You frowned suddenly; you hadn’t realised that you were touching the spot where Sirius had left a kiss. ‘Now that I think about it, I do think of him a lot…’ you thought to yourself as you dropped your hand, your brain suddenly working overtime. You repeated Lily’s words in your head ‘I can tell you like him…’

…

…

…

“Huh, well would you look at that…” You said to yourself, staring blankly at the opposite wall. “She was right.”


	7. Part 7

The incident with the Slytherins had spread like wildfire in just a few hours. At first the accounts were almost accurate but as time went on, the accounts slowly became hilariously inaccurate and then slightly frightening. Doris Rickett from Hufflepuff claimed that Avery had transformed you into a flobberworm, while Luke Hermann from Ravenclaw was positive that you had used the Cruciatus Curse on Snape and proceeded to beat Mulciber and Avery with a Beater’s bat. While the incident had left you slightly shaken, it was a nice distraction to be laughing over these stories with your friends.

“Did you hear what Aubrey was saying,” James laughed, lounging in his chair with his feet propped up on your bed. “Apparently you need extra training Y/N, and he’s happy to give you extra Defence lessons.”

“What a wanker,” Sirius snorted, rolling his eyes. He was lounging on a chair with his arm propped on your bed and you were very aware of his fingers running absently along your arm.

After your unexpected revelation last night, you had become frustratingly more aware of the handsome Gryffindor and had difficulty focusing on the conversation. Whilst at first you thought you were doing quite well at retaining your composure, especially when Sirius had given you a warm hug, that quickly vanished when James cleared his throat alerting you to the fact that you were clinging to Sirius longer than acceptable and you had proceeded to busy yourself with arranging your flowers and ‘Get Well’ cards in an attempt to ignore Lily’s knowing smirk. You knew that Lily would pounce on you the moment the two of you were left alone and you wanted to prolong that conversation for as long as possible. It’s not that you didn’t want to talk about your feelings, but there were times when Lily’s ego was almost as large as James’ and finding out she was right would only double the size.

“He’s failing Defence!” Lily said shaking her head in disbelief. “What’s he going to teach her? How to set your robes on fire?”

“How to get undiluted Bubotuber Pus on your privates?” Remus snickered next to Peter as he flicked through the Daily Prophet. “He still won’t admit how that happened.”

“He doesn’t even know what happened yesterday,” You scowled, feeling slightly annoyed at Aubrey’s comments. “Once he takes on Mulciber and Avery singlehandedly, then he can give me a lecture on defence.”

“Just ignore him Y/N,” Sirius said squeezing your hand. “He’s an idiot. During the 3rd year practical exam, a Salamander was coming toward Aubrey and he freaked out and confused a Freezing Charm with a Seize and Pull. The examiners weren’t happy.”

“I can’t believe he’s in Ravenclaw,” You chuckled, trying to ignore the tingles from Sirius casually holding your hand.

“I think the Sorting Hat got a bit muddled,” Peter snickered as he helped himself to Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.

“Guys, listen to this,” Remus said suddenly as he sat up straight and held out the Daily Prophet. “Albert Parkes is missing.”

“What?” Lily gasped, shocked.

“At 3am local time yesterday the Ministry was contacted with reports of shouting and loud bangs inside Parkes home,” Remus read. “Upon the arrival of Ministry Aurors, the house was found ransacked and Parkes was nowhere to be found. Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the Head Auror office.”

“But how is that possible?” Peter asked looking astounded. “Parkes is an Auror! He took out Rufus Cowley; he should be able to take on a few Death Eaters.”

“Not if the Death Eaters took him by surprise,” James frowned. “I mean, who expects to be attacked in their own home?”

“Why would Voldemort want Parkes though?” You asked, puzzled. “If he wants him to join the Death Eaters then they have the wrong man; Parkes will never join Voldemort.”

“I don’t think that’s what Voldemort wants,” Remus disagreed, deep in thought. “He knows Parkes would die before joining the Death Eaters.”

“I think he wants information,” Sirius spoke suddenly. “A few weeks ago Parkes had been approved access to the Department of Mysteries; it was in the paper - something about gaining information for a mission.”

“That makes sense,” You nodded at Sirius. “But what could he possibly want to know about the Department of Mysteries?”

“Well, we all know Voldemort wants to take over the Ministry,” James said, running his hands through his messy hair. “Maybe he wants more information; the more he knows, the better he can infiltrate it.”

You sighed as you propped yourself up higher in bed, careful to not disrupt the bandages. You had more strength today and you were pleased to see that the wound is already starting to heal.

“I’m beginning to think he might achieve that,” Lily said glumly. “His number of followers is growing every week.”

“I don’t think that would happen,” Remus assured her. “Not with Dumbledore around.”

You nodded in agreement as everyone fell silent. Thankfully the tension was broken by Peter choking on a Pepper jelly bean, prompting Remus to thump him on the back.

“We’ve got your homework, Y/N,” Lily smiled, changing the subject. “And Mary and Marlene will bring over your Herbology homework once they’re done re-potting Mandrakes.”

“Thanks Lils,” You smiled gratefully.

“Did you hear about the Chudley Cannons?!” James burst out suddenly, cackling as Lily, whose favourite team was the Chudley Cannons, looked on seriously. “Davey Gibbs was fired!”

“Bullshit!” Lily retorted immediately. “It’s the middle of the season, they wouldn’t dare fire anyone!”

“Yep, Johnson told me this morning,” James sighed mockingly as Lily looked horrified; she was as passionate about her Quidditch team as James was about Puddlemere United. “Apparently he let the team down too many times. I told you to follow Puddlemere United, they actually have talent.”

You giggled as you watched the happy couple argue over their Quidditch teams. One of the many things James and Lily had in common was that they were both ridiculously dedicated to their teams. When the Chudley Cannons had defeated Puddlemere United last year, James had sulked for a whole two weeks until Lily finally took pity on him and bought him a new Quidditch jersey signed by the Puddlemere United team. That was the first time you had seen James reveal his inner fangirl.

You felt Sirius’ grip tighten around your hand as he barked with laughter at the two Quidditch fanatics. You absently stroked his hand with your thumb as you thought of your conversation last night. You’d only ever opened up to Lily and yet you found it surprisingly easy to confide in Sirius. You’d heard stories of girls feeling uncomfortable or even frightened around their romantic interests, and while you did get butterflies whenever he looked at you or tingles whenever he touched you, you almost felt at complete ease; it was like you had been close with Sirius for more than just a few weeks. It was almost funny how it took you this long to figure it out; there really is a fine line between love and hate!

“What are you thinking about?” Sirius whispered in your ear, his warm breath grazing your neck and sending shivers down your spine.

“Nothing much…” You answered as you looked into his grey eyes.

Sirius narrowed his eyes as he searched your face.

“You’re not still worried about the war, are you?” He asked quietly as the group continued to laugh and bicker.

“No, no,” You assured him. “You actually really helped last night.”

“Then what is it?” he asked, still searching your face. “Something’s bothering you, I can tell.”

You gulped nervously as you looked down at your intertwined fingers. Now was not the time to have a deep discussion about your feelings for Sirius, and you weren’t even sure if you wanted to speak with him about it. You’d only just realised your feelings and you didn’t have much experience with romantic confessions and relationships; that was more Lily’s expertise.

Deciding it was best to speak with Lily first before making any embarrassing confessions, you looked back up at Sirius.

“It’s nothing,” You smiled, squeezing his hand slightly. “Promise.”

Sirius nodded and gave you a small smile but you could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced. Something you’d noticed after spending so much time with him over the past few weeks was that he was surprisingly perceptive.

“Charms is starting in ten minutes,” Remus announced while Peter tipped over the Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans box in hopes of finding more. “I’ll give you the homework straight after class; you’d probably want to get a head start on it.”

“Don’t worry about the homework, Y/N,” James yawned widely as he stretched. “Flitwick isn’t going to give detention to a sick person.”

You snorted loudly. “Not unless McGonagall finds out.”

“Nah, Minnie’s fine,” James smirked. “She acts all tough, but she’s actually a big softie. She’s not scary.”

“Professor McGonagall!” Lily gasped suddenly, looking over James’ shoulder. James whipped around, looking horrified and almost falling off his chair.

You all burst into laughter as James turned back around once he’d realised ‘Minnie’ wasn’t behind him. He scowled at Lily, but his eyes were alight with humour.

“We’ll see you after class, Y/N,” Remus chuckled, grabbing his bag as everyone followed suit.

“Bye love,” Sirius winked, giving your hand a small squeeze before standing up.

“Good-bye my sweet Y/N!” James grinned. “I’ve got a little treat for Aubrey later; I’ll take photos.”

“That’s a good example you’re setting the first years, Head Boy,” Lily grinned, shaking her head affectionately.

“It’s nothing too bad,” James assured her, sending you a quick wink.

“That idiot needs to be taught a lesson anyway,” Sirius smirked, swinging his bag over his shoulder. “His ego’s almost as big as his head.

“I’ll bring you more sweets tomorrow,” Peter promised as James and Sirius snickered. “Sorry I ate your jelly beans.”

“Thanks Peter,” You smiled gratefully.

“You coming Lils?” James asked Lily as he headed towards the door, Remus, Peter and Sirius behind him.

“I need to speak with Y/N for a minute,” she answered. “I’ll catch up.”

James nodded before the boys exited the Hospital Wing and into the busy hallway full of students trying to get a glance of you as they headed towards their next lesson.

“Soo…” Lily began as she sat on your bed, placing her hands under her chin and grinning at you smugly.

“Soo…?” You repeated, knowing exactly what was on her mind.

“You’ve finally figured it out?” She asked, almost bouncing in excitement.

“Yes,” You sighed not bothering to deny it. “Last night.”

“See! I was right!” She laughed, causing you to roll your eyes at your overly smug friend.

“Sirius was really worried about you,” Lily said seriously, once she’d calmed down. “I’ve never seen him like that. Madam Pomfrey was trying to patch you up and he kept getting in the way, she threatened to kick him out a few times.”

She looked over at the large bouquet of flowers he had given you surrounded by many ‘Get Well’ cards and Honeydukes sweets.

“And then he started raging on about killing Mulciber and Avery,” Lily continued. “James and Remus had to hold him back.”

“Oh…” You nodded slowly, not knowing what else to say. You were shocked that he had reacted so strongly to you getting attacked. You’d always known that Sirius Black had a nasty temper, but you never thought he’d care for you enough to completely lose control.

“Are you going to talk to him?” she asked, watching you closely.

“Do I have to?” You groaned.

“Well…if you’d like to be more than friends…then yes.”

You ran your hand through your tangled hair, groaning dramatically.

“You do want to be more than friends…right?” she asked.

“Yes, of course,” You said looking into her bright green eyes. “I mean…I think so…? This is all just happening really quickly.”

She nodded sympathetically. “I understand – you’d only just found out last night whereas we’ve known for a while.”

“Exactly! It’s just a lot to take…hang on…” You paused, staring at a very innocent-looking Lily. “What do you mean ‘we’?”

Lily opened and closed her mouth a few times, her green eyes wide, as if a deer in headlights. If you hadn’t been so confused you’d have laughed at the fact that ‘chatterbox Lily’ was finally lost for words.

“Well…” she began carefully. “By ‘we’… I mean me and…you…”

“Lily,” You warned.

“Fine!” she huffed, throwing her hands in the air. “Me and the boys.”

Your mouth dropped open in shock.

“Except for Sirius,” she added. “He’s almost as clueless as you.”

“You’ve been talking about me with James, Remus and Peter?” You asked shocked. “Since when?”

“Since the Herbology incident,” she said casually. “There was a…spark between you two; we all noticed it.”

You stared at Lily as you processed all this. Lily has been talking about you and Sirius… with his friends?

“So that explains the weird looks James has been giving me,” You said, thinking back to his wide smirks and waggling eyebrows.

“Yeah, subtlety isn’t James’ strong suit,” she laughed affectionately.

“I guess I’ll talk to Sirius then…?” You said, unsure. You had to admit, it did feel encouraging knowing that you seemed to have already gained Sirius’ friends ‘approval’.

“It’s entirely up to you, Y/N,” Lily grinned, looking as if she was trying to restrain herself from jumping in joy.

“It’s just…I don’t know what to say. And I don’t want to be like those girls who throw themselves at Sirius and make a complete fool of themselves,” You confessed, thinking back to Sirius’ horrified response to his fangirls.

“You’ll never be like those idiots,” Lily laughed. “Besides, I think Sirius would love nothing more than for you to ‘throw yourself at him’.”

“You really think he likes me?” You asked hesitantly. “I’d hate for this to be a big misunderstanding and I end up humiliating myself.”

Lily scoffed, raising her eyebrows at you. “Sirius ran you up to the Hospital Wing, shouted at Madam Pomfrey to ‘hurry the fuck up’, threatened to murder the Slytherins, almost broke James’ nose, and he refused to leave your side until you woke up,” she said as she ticked off each point with her fingers. “You don’t act that emotionally if you’re just friends.”

You smiled as you thought her words over. “Ok, I guess I’ll talk to him…”

“Good girl,” she beamed approvingly, patting the top of your head.

“What should I say?” You asked awkwardly, feeling like a twelve year old school girl with a crush.

“Just tell him how you feel,” Lily suggested. “You two are already quite close, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“How did you tell James how you felt?” You asked.

“Umm…I didn’t exactly tell him,” she smirked, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “I kinda…showed him.”

You snorted with laughter, taking care to support your injured side.

“He took it quite well actually,” she added happily.

“I bet he did,” You smirked.

“Well, whenever you decide to tell Sirius…or show him…” she winked as she stood up and grabbed her bag. “Let me know.”

“I will,” You promised, as she gave you a careful hug.

She headed towards the door and gave you a quick wave before closing it softly behind her.

You sighed as you sank back into the pillows, staring up at the ceiling lost in thought. It was amazing how much your life had changed in just a few weeks. You’d become even closer friends with Remus, became acquaintances and then eventually close friends with James and Peter, and have developed romantic feelings for Sirius Black. And on top of that you had being involved in a Slytherin attack and became the talk of the school.

You leaned over, hissing when you felt sharpness in your side, and grabbed a Chocolate Frog from your bedside table. You bit the head off the frog as you thought how you would make your feelings known to Sirius. You didn’t like the idea of bluntly telling him, and you’re definitely not confident enough to kiss him. As you haven’t had much experience in the dating department, this was all very new to you.

‘I don’t have to tell him right now…’ you reasoned with yourself as you stuffed the rest of the frog in your mouth. ‘Besides, maybe it’ll be easier if we stay friends for a bit longer…’

You grabbed another frog as you remembered the feeling of Sirius’ warm hug and his husky scent you had breathed in whilst trying to retain your composure.

‘I can control myself for a few days, just until I figure out what to say.’ You thought back to Sirius’ brilliant smile and wink he had given you, making your heart skip a beat. ‘…It’ll be easy… right…?’


	8. Part 8

You were finally released from the hospital wing Friday morning; your wound healed and your energy back. After promising a berating Madam Pomfrey that you wouldn’t do any strenuous activity due to the risk of reopening the wound, you headed up for a much-needed shower in Gryffindor tower. As the warm water relieved your tense and aching muscles, you thought of everything that happened this week.

The boys and Lily had visited you every day, bringing you many sweets, flowers and very odd and surprisingly amusing ‘gifts’. True to his word, James had taken photos of his revenge against Aubrey which involved a toilet seat, spello-tape and a massive amount of dragon-dung. You had laughed so hard when he showed you, that an annoyed Madam Pomfrey had to check that you didn’t re-open the healing wound.

Sirius had remained close to your side every day, visiting you between classes and then giving you a wide smile and a wink before heading off for his next class. You were suddenly overly aware of Sirius; every move; every smile; every bark-like laugh sent your heart racing and you had to force yourself to concentrate on the conversation rather than wondering what Sirius’ perfect lips would feel like against yours. And you could almost swear that at times it seemed like Sirius was flirting with you; touching your hair, your face, his deep grey eyes never leaving yours as he immersed you in conversation, leaning closer as you laughed. It didn’t help that Lily kept sending you teasing looks and making suggestive comments, which thankfully went over everybody else’s heads, except Remus of course but thankfully he was not as bold as Lily. You were happy with your decision to wait until you spoke with Sirius, but Lily’s teasing and Sirius’ strange behaviour was making it difficult.

You quickly finished your shower and put on your school robes, groaning when you accidentally knocked your side against the bedpost, and grabbed your bag before heading for your first class. You carefully walked down the staircase, each step feeling like a blow to your side, and scrambled ungracefully out the portrait hole.

“Hey there!”

You looked up to see Sirius holding a steaming mug of coffee, his bag slung casually over his shoulder and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. You were also very aware of the fact that a few of Sirius’ shirt buttons were undone, showing a hint of his muscular chest.

“Hi,” You replied awkwardly, tearing your eyes away from his chest and feeling your face heat up. “What have you got there?” You cringed internally, ‘I think it’s pretty obvious, Y/N!’

“Coffee,” Sirius chuckled, handing it out to you. “For you. I know how much you love your morning coffee.”

“Thanks,” You said gratefully, taking a big gulp.

You began walking down the corridor, sipping your coffee while Sirius followed beside you, hands deep in his pockets and a hint of a smile on his face. You grimaced as you readjusted your bag which was pulling uncomfortably on your injured side. You suddenly felt a hand grip the strap and pull it off your shoulder.

“Let me carry it,” Sirius smiled, swinging your bag over his shoulder along with his.

“Thanks Sirius,” You smiled, feeling like you’ve been saying that a lot lately.

“No problem,” he answered, giving you a bright smile. It still surprised you to see this side of Sirius Black; you were used to the brooding, mischievous trouble-maker, not the chivalrous, kind gentleman.

You finally reached your Charms classroom, arriving just in time to follow the line of students entering and taking their seats. You headed over to your usual table with Lily who greeted you with a warm hug, and you were surprised to find that Sirius took the seat next to you.

“Hey Y/N!” James greeted you from the table behind you, Remus and Peter sitting on either side of him. “Good to see Poppy has finally set you free.”

“It wasn’t easy,” You laughed, turning around carefully in your seat to smile at the messy-haired 7th year. “I made a lot of promises that I’m not sure I can keep.”

“I’ve learnt to just nod and play along,” Remus smiled. “And if you end up in the Hospital Wing again— it’s always someone else’s fault.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” You chuckled before turning back around. Sirius had placed a fresh parchment, ink bottle and quill in front of you and hadn’t even bothered to grab a parchment and quill for himself.

“Where’s yours?” You asked gesturing to the parchment.

“I don’t need to take notes,” he smirked, leaning lazily back in his chair. “I already know it all.”

“Pfft…You mean, you think you know it all,” Lily snorted, doodling on her blank parchment.

“You’re just jealous, Evans,” Sirius snickered, casually throwing his arm around the back of your chair, his fingers grazing your neck.

“Jealous of what!?”

“My intelligence, my hair, my impeccable good looks—”

“Good looks? Ha!” James snorted.

“I happen to be a fine specimen, thank you very much! You…spectacled…dragon dung.”

You all burst out laughing, turning in your seats to see James glaring mockingly at Sirius.

“The only reason my mum told you that was so you’d help her clean the kitchen,” James grumbled.

“Don’t worry Sirius, you’re very attractive,” Lily smirked, her eyes alight with mischief. “Isn’t he Y/N?”

You saw Sirius whip around from the corner of your eye. Your mouth dropped open and your face became red as you glared daggers at Lily. Luckily you were saved the embarrassment of answering the question when Professor Flitwick spoke.

“Good morning, class,” he smiled at everyone from atop his stack of books. “Today we’ll be revising what we’ve learnt so far, so I can ensure you’re all prepared for your exams. Now remember, Non-Verbal spells require steady concentration and discipline especially when performing the Vinegar to Wine Charm…”

You tuned him out as you leaned back in your chair, feeling your blush die away. You knew that Lily was only trying to give you a push to admit your feelings, but you weren’t ready.

Sirius shifted beside you and his arm brushed against yours. You watched him from the corner of your eye; watching him tap his fingers lightly on the desk, his muscly forearms flexing from the movement. Your eyes trailed to his chest, watching it rise and fall with each breath, remembering when you had seen him almost naked with droplets of water sliding down his strong, defined muscles. Your eyes then slowly trailed up to his face; taking in the faint stubble on his chin and the way his soft, slightly messy, black hair fell naturally around his face. You had never taken the time to really look at Sirius and take in every curve and every dimple, as you were always too consumed with your inner feelings. You wanted nothing more than to stroke your fingers over his cheekbones and feel the softness of his skin. You then looked at his eyes; his deep grey eyes were warm, making you weak at the knees. You could stare into his eyes all day…

You gasped, quickly looking away, horrified that you had been caught ogling Sirius Black. You had been so lost in his eyes that you hadn’t realised they’d been staring straight into yours. You felt a light tap on your shoulder before a torn piece of parchment with scribbled writing was placed in front of you.

‘It’s alright, you can look. I don’t mind.’

Your eyes grew wide and you bit your lip, feeling both annoyance and embarrassment. You slowly looked up to glare at Sirius, who was shaking with silent laughter.

“I was not looking! I was just dozing off!” You hissed at him, trying to fight the blush from returning.

“Whatever you say,” he winked, before turning to face Flitwick, a wide, satisfied grin on his face.

“Everyone, sort into pairs; you’ll be practising the Non-Verbal Charms,” Flitwick ordered in his squeaky voice. The class scrambled to their feet and called over one another to quickly find a good partner.

“Come on, Evans,” James smirked, standing up and pulling out his wand. “Show us what you’ve got.”

“Partners?” Sirius asked you as Lily joined James in the far corner of the room while Peter and Remus teamed up.

“Fine,” You sighed, silently praying that you wouldn’t do anything else to further humiliate yourself.

You headed towards an empty space by the door while he grabbed a glass of vinegar and a teacup.

“I’ve missed a lot of classes, so I’m probably going to be a bit rocky,” You warned him, pulling out your wand. “So don’t judge me.”

He nodded, setting the glass and teacup on the table before pulling out his own wand. “Ladies first.”

You took a deep breath and carefully aimed your wand at the glass of vinegar, gritting your teeth with concentration. You shouldn’t have been so disappointed when the vinegar turned to ice instead of a deep red.

“Your turn,” You said, sighing deeply.

“Ah, don’t be too hard on yourself,” Sirius smiled, gently placing a hand on your shoulder. “You’re still healing. And besides, I know you’re a kickass at Non-Verbal magic — I haven’t forgotten what you did to Bulstrode.”

You smiled, feeling your frustration die away almost instantly as you stared up into his grey eyes while he flashed his perfect teeth.

Sirius pointed his wand at the ice and reversed the spell before turning the vinegar into a perfect deep red colour, all without a sound escaping his lips. There was a reason Sirius and James are considered the brightest in the school.

He cleared his throat before turning back to you, struggling and failing to stop a satisfied smirk. “Want to try again?”

“Uh…yeah. Ok,” You stuttered, surprised that Sirius wasn’t already boasting about his excellent Charms skills. “I don’t think the result will be any different though.”

“You’re too tense,” Sirius observed as you raised your wand. “Loosen up a bit.”

You tried to relax your muscles but it didn’t seem to be working, according to Sirius’ amused expression.

“Here, I’ll help you.” He wrapped his arms around you, his firm chest against your back and his warm breath on your neck. He gently grabbed your hand holding the pointed wand and placed his other on your side. Your heart was beating loudly against your ribcage; you were surprised he couldn’t hear it.

“Now, relax,” he murmured into your ear, sending goose-bumps across your skin. “Forget about everyone around you. Just focus on the spell; say it in your mind and imagine the vinegar turning to wine. Picture it in your head.”

You swallowed loudly, your breathing slightly laboured. Normally you’d have been horrified at your reaction to Sirius, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. His chest was warm and comfortable against your back and his hands were surprisingly soft.

“Focus Y/N,” Sirius reminded you softly, a hint of a smile in his voice.

You shook your head, forcing all sinful thoughts of Sirius out of your head and closed your eyes, concentrating on the incantation.

“Look,” Sirius grinned.

You slowly opened your eyes to see the vinegar had turned into the unmistakable colour of red wine.

“I did it!” You beamed, turning your head towards Sirius and accidentally bumping your forehead against his chin.

“Ow!” He laughed, rubbing his chin while you clutched your forehead.

“Sorry! Sorry!” You apologised, his infectious laugh making you giggle.

He wrapped his arm back around you, pulling you back into his warm chest.

“See, I told you. You’re a lot stronger than you think — in more ways than one,” he smirked, gently stroking your arm.

“Ah, I see you two are doing well over here,” Professor Flitwick squeaked behind you, causing you both to jump apart.

Sirius cleared his throat, waving his hands around before placing them awkwardly on his hips as if not quite sure what to do with them.

“Yeah, we’re fine,” he replied, nervously running a hand around the back of his neck.

“Good, good!” Flitwick beamed, oblivious to the closeness between you and Sirius a moment ago. “It seems almost everyone is managing the non-verbal incantations. You should easily pass your NEWTs!”

He hurried off towards another pair whose glass of vinegar had suddenly exploded with a loud ‘bang!’

You smiled at Sirius nervously, a sudden awkward silence between you.

“Umm…shall we continue?” You asked, gesturing to the teacup.

“Yeah,” he replied with a small smile, his eyes seeming to flick down to your lips, but a moment later you figured it was just the light playing tricks on you. He aimed his wand at the purple spotted teacup which suddenly sprouted arms and legs and began running around the table, before he stepped aside for your turn.

You continued working this way for the remainder of the lesson; taking turns at each incantation and sending nervous smiles at one another.

As you looked around at James and Lily, who were in a fierce competition over who could make their teacup do the most outrageous tricks (which Lily seemed to be winning), you noticed a group of Hufflepuff girls a few tables away sending strange glances at you and Sirius whilst whispering quietly with one another. Thinking they were discussing another plan to score a date with the Marauder, you ignored them and continued practicing the Water-Making Spell with Sirius, who seemed to have collected himself and returned to his usual overly-confident and cocky self. And, though you would never admit this out loud, there was something oddly attractive when his cocky and arrogant side decided to make an appearance.

“Well done everyone,” Professor Flitwick squeaked when the bell had sounded, signalling the end of class. “The majority of you were able to perform these charms perfectly. However, those who struggled are to practice so you’re ready to perform them next lesson. NEWTs are not far away!”

“Don’t remind me,” Peter mumbled next to you as everyone began packing their bags and heading for the door.

“You’ll be fine Wormy,” James beamed, ruffling his hair as he left the class, arm in arm with Lily, Remus following closely behind.

“Thanks for helping me Sirius,” You smiled as you both left the classroom and strolled down the busy corridor.

“Don’t mention it,” he said, sweeping his long black hair from his eyes. “Besides, you’re the one that did it; I just offered some friendly support.”

“Well, thanks anyway,” You said, feeling your heart sink slightly at the word ‘friendly’. “I better get going; don’t want to be late for Professor Vector.”

Giving him a small smile, you headed down the Charms corridor, trying to ignore the sinking feeling. You knew you were just being paranoid; worried that Sirius only saw you as a friend, considering the way he had been behaving around you over the past few weeks. And not to mention your enlightening conversation with Lily a few days ago. But frustratingly enough, there was a small part of you that still doubted Sirius’ feelings for you; it just seemed so bizarre to think that the famous Sirius Black had fallen for you. This was the very reason you were so apprehensive about confessing your deep feelings for him – rejection.

You suddenly banged into something solid, effectively bringing you out of your thoughts.

“Sorry,” You apologised to the 4th year Hufflepuff girl, who only gave you a curt nod before continuing her way down the corridor.

Looking up at the surrounding students, you suddenly felt like an animal in a zoo. It seemed that you were not being paranoid suspecting that the Hufflepuff girls were watching and whispering about you and Sirius. As you continued through the crowded corridors towards your Arithmancy class, you felt eyes on you and whispers following you.

“What does he see in her?”

“I bet it’s a love potion.”

“He’s just pitying her because she almost died.”

“Her? Really?”

You sighed in relief when you reached the Arithmancy classroom. You were ten minutes early but decided to take a seat in order to escape the glares and whispers from Sirius’ fangirls.

As you took out your book and began revising the Celestial Number Chart you heard the classroom door open. Figuring it was just a fellow peer, you continued reading. Suddenly a perfectly polished hand slammed down on your table making you jump. Looking up alarmed, you saw 5th year Ravenclaw, Melinda Connell, smiling down at you.

“Hi Y/N,” she smiled, taking the seat next to you.

“Umm…hi…?” You said bewildered, noticing that her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You don’t take 7th year Arithmancy.”

“I know, I just wanted to talk to you without any of your lovely friends around,” she laughed a fake laugh. You narrowed your eyes at her, already disliking this fake Ravenclaw.

“What do you want?” You asked bluntly.

“What’s going on between you and Sirius” she demanded, dropping her fake friendliness, her narrowed blue eyes glaring into yours.

You clenched your jaw as you stared her down, trying to decide how to answer. You should have expected this question, especially after the glares and whispers that followed you through the halls.

“Why do you want to know?” You asked, deciding to give as little information as possible.

“Just curious,” she shrugged, a slight sneer on her face. “There’s some rumours going around and I want to know the truth.”

You rolled your eyes, trying to suppress a laugh. You’d heard of Sirius and James’ fangirls, had even heard Lily complaining about them when she began dating James, but you never knew they were so childish.

“I think you need to grow up and mind your own damn business,” You chuckled, turning back to your book.

“We know he’s under a love potion,” she snapped, snatching your book from your grip.

“What?”

“It’s the only explanation; why else would he fall for someone like you.”

“Give me my book back. Now!” Forgetting about your injured side, you reached forward to seize the book which she only pulled further away. You hissed in pain, feeling a sharp sting and supported your side.

“Not until you tell me the truth!”

You groaned in frustration and pain, wanting nothing more than to smack this silly 5th year across the face.

“Give me my book back and piss off!” You growled, feeling a sudden wetness on your side.

“You better watch your language unless you want another injury—”

“What the hell is going on here!?”

You looked around to see a furious Lily standing in the doorway, glaring daggers at Connell, whom upon noticing Lily, suddenly dropped her threatening glare and replaced it with a friendly smile.

“Hi Lily,” she smiled. “We were just having a nice cha—”

“That’s enough, you silly girl,” Lily interrupted sharply, wiping the smile off Connell’s face. “You should be ashamed of yourself; attacking someone because you’re jealous. It’s pathetic! I’d expect this kind of behaviour from a 12 year old, but not from a 5th year. Grow up!”

“I—I,” Connell was opening and closing her mouth, at a complete loss for words.

“Give the book back to Y/N and get to class,” Lily ordered firmly. “And 20 points from Ravenclaw. If I see you harass Y/N or anyone else over a boy, I will inform Professor Dumbledore. Am I clear?”

She nodded quickly, placing the book in front of you and leaving quietly, head low and a light blush on her cheeks.

“You ok?” Lily frowned, shaking her head disgustedly. “Those girls are unbelievable; they did the same thing to me when I started dating James.”

“I’m not dating Sirius,” You corrected her, carefully checking your side.

“Shit! We better get you to Madam Pomfrey,” she frowned, staring at the dark red blood on your hand.

You nodded in agreement, carefully standing and headed to the Hospital Wing, Lily’s arm wrapped gently around your waist and muttering angrily under her breath.

To say that Madam Pomfrey was unimpressed would be an understatement. She was furious that you had managed to aggravate the wound so quickly and insisted on making you stay another night in the Hospital Wing. After much begging from both you and Lily, she huffed and bustled to her office to grab some pain potion.

As Lily began chatting about her recent dinner with the Slug Club, you tuned her out, occasionally nodding and smiling when she laughed. You couldn’t help but dwell on Melinda Connell’s harsh words. Everything she had said was exactly what you’re afraid of – Sirius being friendly with you out of pity. A part of you knew this wasn’t true; she only wanted to make you doubt yourself but you couldn’t help it.

“Take this potion tonight before bed,” Pomfrey ordered, handing you a small flask full of purple liquid. “And please be careful.”

“Yes ma’am,” You nodded, putting the flask in your pocket before leaving with Lily.

“Wait til Sirius hears about this; he’d probably strangle the girl himself,” Lily grinned as you headed back to your class.

“I don’t want him finding out,” You warned Lily as you turned a corner and took a quick shortcut. “It’ll just worry him and he’ll go on a murder spree or something. Just keep this between us.”

“If that’s what you want…” Lily frowned, looking at you curiously.

“It is,” You nodded, giving her a reassuring smile before you opened the classroom door causing the students’ heads to whip around.

“Sorry we’re late Professor. I was in the Hospital Wing — stomach ache,” Lily lied easily as you took your seats at the back, taking out parchment and quills.

“That’s fine, Miss Evans,” Professor Vector nodded before turning back to the blackboard.

As you copied down the notes Vector was writing, you found that you had difficulty concentrating, having to cross out another spelling error. You couldn’t get Sirius Black out of your head. You’d told Lily that you simply didn’t want to worry Sirius but the truth was you were worried of his reaction to people believing there was a spark between you. Would he be happy? Think it funny? Or would he be disgusted that people would think that he had fallen for someone like you?

You threw down your quill after the fifth error and rubbed your temples. You were almost positive of Sirius’ feelings a few days ago and now it felt like the little speck of doubt had increased and was spreading, making you even more confused and paranoid.

“Are you ok?” Lily whispered, looking concerned. “Does it hurt?”

You shook your head. “Just a headache,” You smiled, before picking up your quill and forcing yourself to concentrate.

**** **** ****  
The Great Hall was abuzz with excitement Saturday morning, eager for the Gryffindor vs Slytherin Quidditch match. The Slytherin and Gryffindor house colours were hung from the walls and the students were bearing either red and gold or green and silver.

You were sat next to Lily munching on your toast whilst listening to James’ usual breakfast pep talk. James was always passionate about Quidditch and whilst this made him a great captain, it also made you grateful that you were not on the team.

“We’ve been practicing five nights a week, so we should be more than prepared,” he rambled, watching the rest of the team eat while drumming his fingers on the table. James had become even more anxious than usual prior to Quidditch matches as this is his very last year at Hogwarts and his last opportunity to win the Quidditch Cup…again.

“Only five nights?” Remus exclaimed with mock surprise. “Sounds like you’re slacking off Prongs.”

“Yup, his lost it Moony,” Sirius chimed next to James, his mouth full of bacon. “Come on, I’m joking. You know you’ll win!” He added after a glare from James.

“The only thing you have to worry about is not mistaking the Slytherin team for vermin and punching them in the face,” Peter snickered, sitting across from Sirius.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Sirius smirked, helping himself to more bacon and sausages.

“Great pep talk,” Lily muttered to you, making you laugh as you watched the team exchange amused looks.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you guys something,” You began, looking at the four boys. “What’s with the nicknames?”

It seemed the boys hadn’t expected this question as they became suddenly still, Sirius pausing with a sausage halfway to his mouth, and exchanged significant looks.

“I don’t mean any offence,” You explained, unsure how to interpret their reactions. “It’s just; they’re a bit…unusual.”

“Inside joke,” James said with a shrug, regaining his composure. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“They’re boys,” Lily laughed, rolling her eyes. “Shouldn’t you get going James?”

“Yep. Alright team, let’s go,” James said excitedly, standing up and grabbing his broom. The rest of the team followed, including Sirius who usually followed James to the locker rooms before heading to the commentating box.

As Lily gave James his usual ‘good luck’ kiss, you couldn’t stop your eyes flicking to Sirius who was busy tying his shoelace. Seeming to feel eyes on him, he glanced up at you and gave you a smirk and a wink which you returned with a hesitant smile, trying to ignore Lily’s whispered ‘encouragement’ and promised post-game ‘activities’ to James.

You tried to ignore Remus’ knowing smirk as you drank your coffee, keeping your eyes averted from Sirius’ back as he left the hall with the team.

After a few minutes you left the castle with Remus, Peter and Lily, along with the rest of the school and strolled across the lawn towards the large Quidditch stadium. You took your seats next to the teacher’s box, Lily and Remus on either side of you, while the excitement and anticipation in the stadium increased with many ‘roars’ and ‘hisses’ mixed with the screaming.

“Come on Gryffindor!” Lily shouted next to you, clapping loudly and whistling. You shared an amused look with Remus as Sirius’ voice boomed across the stadium from the commentator seat in the teacher’s box.

“Welcome boys and girls, to another game of Quidditch! Today’s game is Gryffindor Lions vs The Ugly Trolls—”

“Black!” Professor McGonagall warned, as the crowd cheered and booed.

“Opps! My mistake; those trolls are in fact the Slytherin team…that’s awkward.”

“Black.”

You snorted with laughter with Remus and Peter while Lily, trying to live up to her Head Girl status, attempted to muffle her laughter in her scarf.

“And here come the Lions, lead by the Legendary Captain James Potter!” Sirius announced as you stood up with your fellow Gryffindors to cheer them on, Lily jumping up and down enthusiastically. It had become common practice now for Sirius to only ever introduce James, except for a few rare occasions when the other team members had impressed him, which he reminded them was a great honour.

“On the other side are the Serpents — you all know who they are.”

You glanced over at McGonagall who was pursing her lips in annoyance but refrained from lecturing Sirius; it seemed she decided some battles aren’t worth it. Looking back at the pitch, you watched as Madam Hooch released the balls and the players taking flight in red and green blurs.

“And it’s James Potter with the Quaffle — what a handsome devil — thrown to Tanner, back to James, nicely dodged a bludger — only the Legendary Captain can achieve that level of elegance when performing a sloth grip roll — he’s heading for the goals…and…he scores!”

The crowd erupted and you cheered along with them as James gave a brief wave before focusing on the game.

“That’s ten points for the courageous lions!” Sirius said, raising a fist in triumph.

“If only James was this elegant on the ground,” Remus joked, clapping along with the crowd. It was well known that James’ level of elegance and co-ordination on a broom was not the same when his two feet were firmly on the ground.

“The Quaffle is re-taken by Wilkes of Slytherin and—oh! Hit by a bludger and drops the Quaffle — honestly I’m not surprised; he flies as if his broomstick is stuck up his—”

You snorted with laughter, watching Wilkes glare menacingly at Sirius, almost colliding with the hoops in the process. You enjoyed watching Quidditch games, but listening to Sirius’ commentary made the whole experience more fun, even if it was at the expense of the opposing team.

“Apologies Minnie,” Sirius said after McGonagall had smacked him over the head. “Just saying it like it is. And it’s James with the Quaffle! That Quidditch uniform does not do him justice, you should see him without it – I already know you have Evans—”

“Black!” Lily shrieked next to you, her face turning as red as her hair while she glared menacingly at Sirius in the teacher’s stand. “Smack him again, McGonagall!”

You tried to avoid eye contact with Remus and Peter, all of you biting your lips to keep from laughing.

“Cheer up Lils; it’s not like the whole school doesn’t know you two shag like Hippogriffs during mating season,” Marlene snickered from her seat behind you, causing the surrounding people to laugh harder.

“Shut up!” Lily grumbled, sinking further in her seat.

“James passes to Leary – watch out for the bludger! – back to James! He goes in for the kill and…” James flew at full speed towards the goals, throwing the Quaffle with an enormous amount of strength causing it to fly right through the Keeper’s outstretched arms. “He SCORES! That’s another ten points for Gryffindor! Where dwell the brave at heart!”

The crowds roar was deafening as everyone leaped to their feet cheering on Gryffindor’s best Chaser, including Lily who seemed to have forgotten about her embarrassment and plan to ‘kill’ Sirius Black. You could just barely hear the hisses and boo’s from the opposite stands where Slytherin house were looking thoroughly disappointed at their lack of goals.

“Black, stop taking sides!” You heard McGonagall’s voice through the megaphone. “You’re supposed to remain impartial. It’s either Gryffindor or Slytherin!”

“Right you are Minnie. And it’s the greenies with the possession of the Quaffle and his hurtling towards the goals. Come on Keeper! Greenie shoots and…misses. You call that a throw? Wormtail can throw better than that! No offence Wormy. Sorry, sorry,” Sirius held the microphone from McGonagall’s reach who was trying to snatch it from him.

You glanced to Peter, expecting to see him looking hurt at Sirius’ comments but he appeared to be quite pleased that he had been mentioned in the commentary.

“The Quaffle turns back to Gryffindor, Leary passes to Gryffindor’s legendary captain. James is soaring down the pitch like an elegant pixie on a Girding Potion. He shoots and…he scores! That’s another ten points to the lions! Now look at this moron trying to dance; he’s all yours Evans.”

“Mr Black!” Professor McGonagall chastised him.

Sirius continued his humorous commentary, bringing more laughs from the crowd and boo’s from the Slytherins. The Slytherin team managed to score a few goals and were penalised for a number of fouls, mostly involving James. This didn’t stop Gryffindor from leading one hundred and twenty to forty, as Sirius was so kind to remind the opposing team.

As the hours went by, you couldn’t help making small glances at Sirius in the next box, watching him writing down the scores on a roll of parchment and occasionally receiving stern looks from McGonagall. At one point Sirius had caught you staring at him while his head was turned in your direction as he watched the Slytherin Chaser attempt to score a goal. You tried to pretend you were watching the Gryffindor Keeper, but Sirius’ wide smirk indicated you were not very convincing.

As the game dragged on, you were finding that the seat was becoming uncomfortable and you were beginning to get a headache from the constant shouting and cheering, mostly from Lily. Fortunately, the seekers had finally gone into a dive, having just caught sight of the snitch.

“They’ve seen the snitch! Walsh dives in pursuit, Slytherin Seeker close behind. Gryffindor scores another goal, determined to not let the snitch distract them. Slytherin Seeker barely misses the bludgers sent from Gryffindor beaters – just hit him with your bat!”

“Black!”

“Meanwhile, Slytherin Chasers attempt to score another goal; I guess they want to keep their dignity after a disastrous game –”

“Black!”

“Walsh is gaining on the snitch, she’s reaching out and…YES! She caught the snitch! Gryffindor win! Three-hundred and thirty to ninety! What a spectacular win!”

The crowd’s cheers were deafening as everyone had leaped to their feet, clapping and jumping excitedly. Remus and Peter had jumped onto their seats, whooping with joy and Lily was busy giving her usual high-fives to her fellow Gryffindors, her face flushed from shouting throughout the game. Even McGonagall was cheering and clapping, while Sirius announced the current leaderboard of the four houses.

The Gryffindor team landed in a tight huddle and you chuckled as you watched James jump up and down excitedly, his sweat covered face alight with happiness.

“Party in the common room!” Peter shouted, receiving a loud applause of excitement from the Gryffindors.

“We should probably head back and get everything ready,” Remus muttered to Peter, pulling out a folded piece of parchment before they left the stands.

You watched the Gryffindor team give one last wave to the crowd before heading to the locker rooms, singing and chanting.

The crowd began to thin as everyone left the stands, chatting excitedly about the match. You headed to the Gryffindor locker rooms with Lily, who wanted to wait for James before heading back to the castle. As you both waited outside the door, Sirius came strolling over.

“Hey there Evans, Y/L/N.”

“You!” Lily said, jabbing her finger at Sirius’ chest. “What’s with your comments about me and James?”

“What are you — oh! That was just some interesting facts. Gotta give the crowd what they want,” he said, casually leaning against the closed door, his eyes twinkling with humour.

“Yes, because mine and James’ love life is more interesting than the game,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“Exactly,” he smirked.

Suddenly the door opened causing Sirius to yelp in surprise and almost fall on top of a wet-haired James.

“Woah! If you wanted to cop a feel, you could’ve just said so,” James joked as Sirius removed himself from James, a light, pink blush forming on his cheeks before resuming his casual stance.

“You were amazing, honey!” Lily smiled, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing kisses to his face, causing him to drop his broom.

“Thanks baby,” he grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her closer.

“Yeah, great game James,” you smiled, giving him a light punch in the shoulder.

“Cheers Y/N,” he smiled, picking up his broomstick before wrapping an arm around Lily’s shoulders.”Great commentary, mate,” he added, winking at Sirius as you all headed up to the castle.

“It’s what I do best,” he smirked, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. “I think someone else was also enjoying my commentary,” he added in a low voice as James and Lily became absorbed in conversation.

You looked up at him before quickly looking up at the darkening sky. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“So you weren’t admiring my rugged good looks instead of watching the game?”

“No! I was just enjoying watching McGonagall smack you five hundred times,” You smirked. “Looked fun.”

“It wasn’t that many times,” he rolled his eyes. “It was only five.”

“Six,” You corrected him without thinking.

“Aha! So you were checking me out.”

“I…no!”

“Don’t worry love, I’m not judging you,” he smirked, wrapping an arm around your shoulders while you gaped at him, trying to think of a good comeback. “It’s quite flattering actually.”

You cleared your throat awkwardly, unable to think of a good retort due to Sirius’ close proximity, his musky scent filling your nostrils.

You headed to the Great Hall for a quick dinner before the party. The hall was packed with hungry students although, unsurprisingly, the Slytherin table was only half full, a few students filling their pockets with food no doubt to take to the defeated team.

“I’m starving!” James moaned, piling his plate with any food he could reach before you even sat down.

Sirius sat closely next to you, your knees banging together as he shovelled food into his mouth.

“How’s your head?” You asked James, piling pork chops on your plate.

“It’s fine,” James said through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. “I’ve had worse. Crouch isn’t very strong anyway, so I barely felt it.”

“Awesome game mate!” Peter shouted enthusiastically, taking a seat with Remus and immediately piling his plate with food.

“You really thumped them Prongs,” Remus agreed before muttering something in his ear which James nodded to.

“Is the party ready?” Sirius asked Remus as his shoulder brushed against yours while he cut his meat.

“All good to go,” he winked.

“How do you prepare a party so fast?” You asked, thinking of all the food and drinks they prepare, not to mention the balloons and streamers.

“A Marauder never reveals his secrets,” James winked.

“Does that mean you keep secrets from Lily?” You laughed with the boys, watching James panic.

“No! Of course not! We tell each other everything,” he replied while Lily smirked knowingly.

You suddenly heard someone clear their throat behind you. Looking around, you saw a 6th year Ravenclaw girl looking hopefully at Sirius. You couldn’t remember her name, but you’ve seen her among Sirius’ fan girls and constantly trying (and failing) to gain Sirius’ attention.

“Hi, Dinah is it?” Lily asked politely, although you could tell she was already suspicious of her.

“Yes,” Dinah answered before turning her sparkling smile onto Sirius who had already turned back around to continue eating. “I actually wanted to talk to Sirius Black.”

Lily subtly rolled her eyes while the boys exchanged annoyed looks. It was no secret many girls at Hogwarts were attracted to Sirius and wanted the ‘bad boy’ to themselves, but the boys had assumed they would eventually grow out of their ‘fan-girl’ phase. It seemed they had gotten their hopes up.

Sirius had learnt to simple ignore their behaviour, but it was only a matter of time until he snapped.

“What do you want? And make it quick.” Sirius sighed, turning grudgingly around to face the excited Ravenclaw.

“Oh— um…” Dinah stuttered, her face falling slightly at Sirius’ obvious lack of interest.

You stared at your half-eaten chop, gripping your knife and fork tightly as you listened, trying to ignore the jealously slowly forming in the pit of your stomach.

“I wanted to…tell you how much I enjoyed your commentary,” she finally said, her cheeks growing slightly pink.

“Thanks,” Sirius nodded, giving her a tight-lipped smile.

“You’re very talented,” she continued, seeming to gain more confidence. “And I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to the next Hogsmeade visit —give me some pointers on commentary…or — or something…” she finished lamely.

You looked across at James, Remus and Peter who was staring at Dinah looking almost amused, while Lily’s eyebrows were raised and she looked utterly dumbfounded.

Sirius cleared his throat, quickly shooting James an annoyed look. “I think I’ll pass on that one,” he told her bluntly, causing Lily to kick him under the table. “I don’t give private lessons,” he added, humour clear in his voice.

“Oh—um…” Dinah’s blush had returned. “Sure. I guess I’ll…I’ll see you around.” She turned to leave but not before shooting you a dark look before returning to the Ravenclaw table where she was immediately confronted by her friends, no doubt wanting to know if she managed to score a date with the handsome Gryffindor.

You all stared at one another, not knowing what to say before James broke the silence.

“Dinner and a show— you don’t get that everyday.”

You all burst into laughter, yours more from relief than humour. You knew that you didn’t ‘own’ Sirius and he was free to date whoever he fancied, but the thought of him with anyone except you made your heart ache and your stomach churn.

As you watched Sirius from the corner of your eye, you realised that you couldn’t possibly do this forever. Eventually Sirius may start dating someone, and while it may be easier to hide your feelings, it was beginning to take a toll on you.

“And she wanted you to give her private lessons,” Remus laughed, shaking his head.

“Or something,” Peter added, snickering into his drink.

“I wish they’d give up already,” Sirius whined, playing with his food. “Don’t they have anything better to do?”

“Apparently not,” You grumbled before you could stop yourself.

“Just be careful mate,” James told Sirius leaning his elbows on the table. “You don’t want to piss them off too much; they can get pretty nasty.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “They’re not going to do anything to me.”

“I wasn’t talking about you,” he said, looking pointedly at you. Sirius looked around and stared at you, frowning in confusion. “I heard what that Ravenclaw girl did to you. You should have told us; we would’ve taken care of her.”

Your wide eyes flicked from James to Lily, silently asking if she had told him, to which shook her head.

“What is he talking—?”

“How did you find out?” You asked James, cutting Sirius off.

“Walsh mentioned it before the game; said she attacked you and you got sent to the Hospital Wing.”

“What!”

You looked at Sirius whose face had darkened and he looked ready to murder someone.

“Who was it?” Remus demanded.

You sighed, knowing there was no point avoiding the truth. “It was Melinda Connell—BUT,” You added louder and grasping Sirius’ arm when he made a move to get up. “She didn’t beat me up. She just took my book and asked me some questions. And when I went to grab the book back, I hurt myself. That’s it!”

“Well that’s very different to what Walsh told me,” James frowned.

“You can’t trust rumours at Hogwarts; they’re never accurate,” Lily said, giving you an encouraging smile.

“Wait. I’m confused. Why was she confronting you in the first place? What did she ask you?” Sirius asked, watching you closely.

“It doesn’t matter what she was asking,” You said, cringing internally and wanting nothing more than for this discussion to be over. “It’s over— she won’t bother me again.”

“I don’t care; it matters to me,” he said forcefully.

You stared at him; his eyebrows pulled into a deep frown, his hands clenched into fists, and his deep grey eyes full of an emotion you couldn’t quite identify.

You took a deep breath, your eyes falling to Sirius’ messy tie. “She was asking about you and…me,” You said, suddenly aware of how close you were. “She thinks there’s something going on between us and got jealous, I guess…”

The silence was deafening as Sirius processed these words, his mouth slightly open as he stared at the table, his eyes glazed over. Thankfully the tense silence was broken by Lily.

“We’ll head up to the Common Room; get a head-start on the party.”

She grabbed James’ arm and nudged Remus and Peter to follow. Peter looked longingly at his half-eaten apple pie before dragging himself away from the table. Lily gave you a small nod of encouragement before exiting the Great Hall, talking quietly with the boys.

“Why didn’t you tell me this?”

You finally looked up at Sirius. His jaw was clenched and his eyes full of anger, although you could swear you saw a hint of a smile on his lips.

“I’m fine Sirius; it’s nothing to be concerned about. I just ignore them.”

As soon as the words left your mouth, you knew that was the wrong thing to say.

“Them?”

You took another deep breath, cursing you and your big mouth.

“Well…there’s some…rumours going around and some people think you can…do better…than— than me,” You finished quietly, feeling your heart sink at the truthfulness of those words.

Sirius suddenly looked around at the Ravenclaw table just in time to see Melinda Connell get up and leave the hall with her group of chattering friends. He stood up quickly, almost knocking over the jug of pumpkin juice and followed her, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

You were frozen in shock watching Sirius leave. Out of all the possible reactions you had imagined he would have, you never considered this. You weren’t even entirely sure what he was mad at. You blinked, shaking your head and grabbed your cloak, deciding it best to follow Sirius in case he does something drastic.

As you reached the Entrance Hall, you spotted Sirius at the top of the Grand Staircase just in time to see him whip around the corner. You climbed the stairs as fast as you could, ignoring the looks of interest from surrounding students. As you rounded the corner, you found no trace of Sirius or the Ravenclaw girls. Just when you decided to grab James for some back-up, you heard a sudden yelling coming from the floor above.

Recognising the voice instantly, you quickly headed to the staircase, taking two at a time before reaching the landing where you suddenly froze at the sight before you.

Sirius had cornered Connell and her friends and was giving them a firm talking to. His face was full of rage and his eyes, which were usually full of amusement, were ice cold and field with fury.

“If you ever lay a finger on Y/N, if you even look at her, then you’ll have me to answer to!”

The girls nodded quickly, unable to look him in the eyes. It seemed you weren’t the only one who had heard the commotion; a small crowd had gathered around, watching with interest. It wasn’t everyday that Sirius had stood up for someone that wasn’t one of his dorm-mates.

“We didn’t touch her,” Connell said, her eyes flicking nervously from Sirius to the gathering crowd. “I just asked her a question—“

“I don’t care! It’s none of your bloody business who I’m dating. And while we’re at it, you can stop with your god-awful attempts at flirting. I wouldn’t go out with you even if Y/N wasn’t my girlfriend!”

Your jaw dropped as you let out a puff of air you hadn’t realised you’d been holding. Thinking you simply misheard, you looked around at the surrounding students, to see surprise and even disbelief on their faces — it wasn’t everyday Sirius Black publicly confessed his feelings for a girl.

“So why don’t you sod off back to your Common Room! You can practice your seduction techniques in the mirror,” he growled.

The girls nodded before quickly walking away; trying to retain what little dignity they had left.

Sirius took a deep breath before turning around and running a hand through his long black hair. His eyes widened slightly in surprise to see you standing there, and he seemed even more shocked to find a small crowd of whispering students surrounding him.

“Are you ok?” He asked as he walked over to you, placing a loose strand of hair behind your ear before running his hands gently down your arms.

“Umm…” You bit your lip, unsure what to say. Your heart was racing and you felt almost dizzy with disbelief. Had Sirius just referred to you as his girlfriend? You glanced at the staring students, wishing they would go away.

As if reading your mind, Sirius turned to the crowd. “What are you all looking at?”

The crowd quickly dispersed, obviously not wanting to be on the receiving end of Sirius’ temper. Although that didn’t stop a few students from voicing their disappointment at the fact that Sirius Black was finally taken.

“Are you ok?” He asked again once the corridor was empty.

You licked your lips, your mouth suddenly dry. “Umm…do you know what you just said? To the girls, I mean?”

“Yeah, I told them to back off…” he answered, looking slightly puzzled.

“Yes…” You said slowly, unsure whether to ask your question. “But that’s not all you said…”

“Well, Yeah. I know…” Sirius frowned, clearly not following. “I don’t understand. Did I say something wrong?”

“Not…not wrong…” You thought your heart might burst from your chest and your palms were becoming increasingly sweaty.

“You also said that you wouldn’t date them even if…” You trailed off, unsure whether to finish the sentence.

“Y/N, what are you talk—” he cut off suddenly, his eyes growing wide with sudden realisation. “Oh…”


	9. Part 9

“Are you ok?” He asked again once the corridor was empty.

You licked your lips, your mouth suddenly dry. “Umm…do you know what you just said? To the girls, I mean?”

“Yeah, I told them to back off…” he answered, looking slightly puzzled.

“Yes…” You said slowly, unsure whether to ask your question. “But that’s not all you said…”

“Well, yeah. I know…” Sirius frowned, clearly not following. “I don’t understand. Did I say something wrong?”

“Not…not wrong…” You thought your heart might burst from your chest and your palms were becoming increasingly sweaty.

“You also said that you wouldn’t date them even if…” You trailed off, unsure whether to finish the sentence.

“Y/N, what are you talk—” he cut off suddenly, his eyes growing wide with sudden realisation. “Oh…”

It felt like time stood still. You were standing frozen in front of Sirius next to the statue of Wilfred the Wistful, a deafening silence between you. A filibuster firework could explode next to you and you wouldn’t have noticed.

His wide grey eyes were staring deeply into yours and you couldn’t look away, even if you wanted to. You had a million thoughts running through your head, but only one of them really mattered…

“You—you have…feelings…for me?” You stuttered. His hands, which were still wrapped arounds your arms were burning into your skin, making your already racing heart almost jump out of your chest.

“I—I…” Sirius opened and closed his mouth several times before clearing his throat. “This isn’t exactly how I planned for you to find out,” he said, a small smile on his face.

“But…” You shook your head, trying to make sense of his words. “I don’t understand,” You frowned. “Why would you…?”

He chuckled, finally letting go of your arms to run his hands through his messy black hair. “Isn’t it obvious Y/N? I know you haven’t known me for very long, but you should know by now that I don’t exactly flirt with just anyone – well, maybe Prongs,” he added with a smirk.

“Oh,” You said quietly; your brain didn’t seem to be working fast enough for you to concoct a better response.

“I mean,” Sirius began, looking suddenly sheepish, scratching the back of his neck. “To be honest, I haven’t been able to get you off my mind ever since you witnessed my fabulous vocal skills.”

Your lips twitched as you remembered his pink face, full of surprise while he modestly clutched his towel.

“But it was bloody frustrating,” he continued, running his hand through his hair again. You frowned in confusion at his sudden change of tone. “I’ve never had to work for a girls attention before – not that I ever wanted it. And bloody Prongs didn’t help either – how that dimwit won over Lily, I’ll never know!”

You stared at him as your brain processed his words. Is this really happening? Sirius Black standing in front of you, shuffling his feet nervously whilst confessing romantic feelings for you. You almost laughed at the absurdity of it. If you listened closely enough, you could almost hear Lily’s squeals of happiness.

“So uh…” Sirius bit his lip nervously. “What do you think?”

You blinked, realising you hadn’t answered him. As you took in his worried expression, his eyes full of uncertainty whilst fiddling nervously with his messy tie; you couldn’t stop a chuckle from leaving your lips.

“You’re an idiot sometimes,” You smiled. “And you’re frustratingly stubborn, and sometimes you take your pranks a bit too far. And you also chew with your mouth open,” You added as an afterthought, remembering when you had meatballs for dinner.

“Jeez, thanks,” Sirius said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“But,” You continued, grinning at the adorable expression on his face, reminding you of a confused puppy. “As much as you don’t want to admit it, you’re a big softy on the inside.”

Sirius snorted, rolling his eyes again, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“And I must admit, you do have a lovely singing voice,” You added, laughing at his annoyed expression. “So I guess your feelings aren’t exactly one-sided.”

A wide grin spread across Sirius’ face as he threw his head back, sighing in relief. “Thank Merlin!”

“Did you really think—” You were cut of mid-sentence as Sirius wrapped his arms around your waist and crashed his lips against yours. You gasped as he pulled you closer crushing you against his chest while his lips moved hungrily against yours. It only took a few seconds until you responded, moving your lips against his and wrapping your arms around his neck, running your fingers through his soft hair. You wanted to berate yourself for not confessing your feelings earlier, thinking of all the times you could have kissed his soft lips, surrounded by his musky scent whilst wrapped in his strong arms. His thumb ran along the hem of your shirt before tucking under, lightly running along the soft skin of your lower back, sending a shiver down your spine and making you gasp. He took advantage and plunged his tongue in your mouth, letting out a low groan as he deepened the kiss. He spun you around and pushed you up against the wall, his hard chest pressing against yours. He left your lips and pressed soft kisses down your jaw, while his thumb ran along your side. Wanting to feel his lips again, you grabbed his jaw and pulled his lips back to yours, to which he was more than willing.

Too soon, you broke apart, gasping for air. You looked up at him, a smile on your face as you took in his dishevelled hair and swollen lips which were pulled into a wide grin. You brought your hand up to his cheek, brushing his long hair away from his eyes.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” he said, breathlessly.

“Me too,” You smiled, very aware of the fact that he hadn’t removed his fingers from underneath your shirt. His chest was pressed against you so tightly, that you hardly had room to breathe.

“So…what now?” You whispered, as if speaking too loudly would ruin the moment.

“Now…” he answered, kissing your lips softly before continuing. “We should probably tell the others about us – I’m sure Moony would like his ten galleons from Wormtail.”

“And us would be…?” You trailed off, looking up at him questionably. You almost felt like a 12 year old girl with her first crush, but you were dying for Sirius to call you that one word that would no doubt break many girls’ hearts.

“You’re really not going to let up are you,” he laughed,

“Nope,” You replied, smiling. “Unless…you don’t want to be…” You added, your smile slowly fading as you watched Sirius fidget nervously.

“No! I mean, I do, it’s just.” Sirius sighed, running his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time. “Look, this is really all new to me. There’s a reason why I’ve never had a – well, you know – before. I’m pretty good with words, but when it comes to actually dating, I really have no clue. I don’t want to disappoint you the way I always seem to disappoint everyone.”

“What are you saying?” You asked, puzzled.

“I’m saying that I want to be your boyfriend, believe me.” He ran his hands down your arms before gripping your hands tightly. “But I’ve never done this before, so if I end up fucking this up, just…be patient with me. I’m sort of, learning on the job.”

“I understand,” You smiled softly, linking your fingers with his. “And don’t worry, if you end up fucking this up, I’ll let Lily put you in your place.”

“Oh great,” Sirius said sarcastically. “Something to look forward to.”

“Oh the many joys of dating,” You laughed, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“So should we head up to the common room?” he asked, moving to wrap his arm around your waist. “We still have the Gryffindor victory party to attend to – although, we may be celebrating something different.”

“Lead the way. Boyfriend,” You winked, tugging playfully on his messy tie. You couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes seemed to light up at the word, as he pulled you tighter to his side, leading you down the corridor to your common room.

***  
“WHOOOOOOOOOO!”

“Lily, calm down.”

“I’m sorry but, OH MY GOD, FINALLY!”

“Lily!”

“Okay!”

You were sitting in front of the warm fire in the Gryffindor common room, perched comfortably on Sirius’ lap whilst covering your ears to Lily’s high pitched screams. It had taken you both a surprisingly long time to reach the common room as you were both unable to keep your hands off each other, not that either of you were complaining, although many of the portraits were not too pleased with the public displays of affection.

“It’s about bloody time, mate,” Remus smiled, leaning against Lily’s armchair and sipping his firewhisky. “You’ve been driving us mad.”

“Hear Hear!” James yelled, a bit too loudly and spilling half of his glass of firewhisky on himself. He was lounging on the carpet, leaning back against Lily’s legs, a bottle of empty firewhiskey next to him.

“Personally, I think you two should’ve waited a bit longer,” Peter mumbled grumpily, downing the rest of his alcohol and pouring himself another. “Another week, at least.”

“You’re just pissed off ‘cos you lost the bet,” James laughed, rattling the bag of galleons next to him.

“It was a stupid bet anyway,” Peter grumbled, flipping James off.

“So!” Lily clapped her hands together excitedly, her green eyes sparkling from a mixture of excitement and too many bottles of firewhisky. “When’s the wedding?”

Sirius choked on his drink, almost spilling it on you.

“Err…what?” You asked, unsure if this was Lily or just the alcohol talking.

“Oh come on!” Lily giggled, bouncing up and down on the sofa, making James slightly nauseous from the movement. “If you guys get married and have babies, then our baby will get a playmate.”

James suddenly shot up, twisting around to stare at Lily. “What baby?” he yelped, looking down at her belly as if waiting to see a bump suddenly spring up.

“Not now!” Lily rolled her eyes. “In the future.”

“Oh,” James turned back around, looking thoroughly relieved.

“Lily!” You interrupted, unable to stop a small chuckle leaving your lips as you glanced up at Sirius’ wide-eyed expression. “We literally just started dating – don’t you think it’s a bit early for wedding and baby talk?”

“I guess…” Lily huffed, looking slightly disappointed. She gestured to Remus for him to refill her glass which he begrudgingly agreed to, shaking his head in amusement at Drunk Lily.

“But you know what’s not too early…?” James snickered, a mischievous look in his eye. “A little wand use, if you know what I mean,” he winked dramatically at an amused Sirius.

“Yeah, maybe she’ll give you entrance to her chamber of secrets,” Remus laughed.

“Oh Merlin,” You groaned, tucking your face into Sirius’ chest which was shaking from his laughter.

“Yeah, I probably should’ve warned you,” Sirius laughed, pressing a kiss to your temple. “When you date a Marauder, you’re also dating his friends.”

“I guess it’s only a small price to pay,” You smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips, ignoring the continuing innuendos from the boys and Lily, which were becoming progressively more crude and slightly terrifying.

“Good, because it’ll only get worse,” he smirked, rolling his eyes at the boys.

As you laughed at James’ poor impression of Sirius trying to ‘make the move’, you looked around at your fellow Gryffindors, drinking, laughing and drunkenly dancing on tables. The thought of leaving Hogwarts used to terrify you, not wanting to face the danger waiting for you outside the walls. But, as you looked at James, Remus, Peter, Lily and Sirius, you realised that you weren’t so scared anymore. You knew that whatever you and Sirius had to face, you would face together, and your friends would always be there, fighting alongside you. Sirius caught your eye and gave you a wink before doing an impression of James trying to impress Lily, which seemed to wipe the smile off James’ face. You curled up closer to Sirius, laughing at the accuracy of Sirius’ impression, beyond happy that you finally had Sirius Black, aka the shower singer, and nothing would ever tear you apart.

**Author's Note:**

> See my Tumblr blog @hogwarts-school.


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